Something About Red Roses
by Artistia
Summary: There's just something about the Red Roses that draw the White roses in like a moth to a flame... (Longer Summary inside)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Cheese and Crackers, I got tired of looking at this thing and just decided to post the first chapter. _ItsBananas_ really encouraged me to get through this, since she's been dying for some different pairings. I will post more pairings once this story is over, but I really like the Shimako & Yumi pairing for now. Don't get me wrong, I love Sachiko and Yumi, but my imagination needs something to occupy itself on while I am in a completely uncreative job. I got the idea for these stories from the AMV "Yumi doesn't belong with Sachiko" on youtube, set to Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me." It's hysterical, give it a go.**

**Summary: **Anyway, premise of this story, What if, during the 2nd season, Sachiko wasn't avoiding Yumi because her grandmother was sick? This story is the 3rd and 4th season, and the end of the series I guess, if Shimako and Yumi were a lot more... "friendlier" with each other, and most everyone knew but Sachiko. Be prepared for a pervy Shimako, who has finally embraced her inner Sei, I think everyone has one, Shimako just needed a push.

**Other pairings circulating around: NorikoxTouko, SeixYouko**

**After all, there's something about red roses...**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 1**

I sighed in relief as I exited the 2nd year Wisteria classroom. I paused for a moment, making sure that nobody heard me as I sighed. Normally, I wouldn't care what other people thought, but I didn't need Mami catching wind of me sighing. This year was going to be hard on me already, without the Newspaper club beating down my door with everything that has happened so far. I stopped as some fellow 2nd years from the Pine class greeted me briefly before making their way down the hall. I returned their greeting with my famous watery smile before staring at the door they just exited enviously. _They get to feel her presence in their class while I…_

"Onee-sama?" A voice behind me asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I turned around with a smile on my face as I greeted my petite soeur. "Noriko."

The younger black haired girl returned the smile and joined me in heading towards the Rose Mansion. It was the day after the Welcoming Ceremony for the first years, the day after I gave my Rosary to Noriko, and I had to formally introduce her to the other members of the Yamyurikai. I wasn't particularly concerned with whether they would accept her or not, but I was concerned about one particular person waiting there.

"Are you thinking about her again?" Noriko asked, "Rosa-Chinensis en Bouton?"

I smiled weakly at the younger girl. She was the only person, other than my own Onee-sama, who knew about my crush on the vibrant member of the red rose family.

"Noriko," I chastised weakly.

She just grinned back at me cheekily. "You've got to do something about it, just tell her. Yumi-sama is kind, she would never turn you away."

"Yes, but she is also in love with Sachiko-sama right now; she would never return my feelings at this moment in time."

Noriko and I stayed quiet the rest of the way to the Rose Mansion. When we reached the meeting room, I opened the door and found my very dear friend (and secret crush) sitting quietly by herself, staring out the window.

"Good day Yumi-san," I greeted her in a soft voice in hopes not to startle her.

She turned her head when she heard me call her name. "Good day Shimako-san, Noriko-chan," Yumi replied. How I wish that she left the formalities off of my name, it would be far easier to do the same in return.

Noriko made us all some tea, and refilled the pig-tailed brunette's cup. I observed my secret crush discreetly. Something seemed off about her, her brown eyes did not spark with the same vibrancy and enthusiasm that I was used to seeing in them. I knew of only one person who could cause such loss in the other girl's eyes so I decided to question as to her where-a bouts.

"Sachiko-sama hasn't come yet?" I asked, kicking myself when I saw Yumi flinch and a flash of pain in her eyes.

"No," Yumi sighed, "She said she had to speak to Touko-chan about something, so she would be here later."

"What about Rosa-Foetida and Yoshino-sama?" Noriko asked, directing the conversation away from the person who could quickly become the victim of a homicide if I wasn't such a nice person.

"Kendo club meeting, they'll be here soon," replied Yumi, her eyes becoming distant again as she resumed her stare out the window.

We waited for a few minutes in silence. I continued to look worriedly at my melancholy friend, not knowing how to help her. Rei-sama and Yoshino-san walked in the room and took their usual spots at the end of the table. Both of them seemed distracted because they didn't seem to notice the mood present in the room. I knew that if Yoshino-san had noticed Yumi's behavior, she would have immediately demanded an explanation. Sometimes I wished I could do that, and then maybe my heart wouldn't hurt so much seeing my love in pain like this and not being able to do anything.

A few more minutes passed, and Sachiko entered with a "Good day," and started the meeting. I introduced Noriko officially as my petite soeur, and a few other items of business were discussed. I continued to glance at Yumi every now and then, and noticed the distinct space between her and Sachiko-sama. Her eyes were clouded with a mask of false cheerfulness but I could see the undercurrent of pain in them.

After the meeting was over, Yoshino-san and Rei-sama excused themselves, and left in a flurry. It seems that an argument still needed to be settled. Sachiko-sama packed up her belongings and looked ready to leave as well before a soft voice halted her departure.

"Onee-sama, can I talk to you for a moment before you leave?" requested Yumi, eyes trained on the older girl's shoes.

A spark of outrage bubbled in my chest, before I pushed it back down, appearing busy so it wouldn't seem like I was listening to their conversation. I glanced over to Noriko at the sink and it seemed that her attention was also on the red rose family.

Sachiko-sama sighed audibly before turning back to her soeur. "I have a few moments," she replied, in a bored, detached tone of voice.

I saw Yumi flinch slightly, but continue on in a stronger voice. "Are we still going to the amusement park this Sunday? If we are we need to make plans…"

"I'm sorry Yumi," Sachiko interrupted, "I thought I had told you, but I have attend to some family matters on Sunday."

"Oh," replied Yumi, meekly, "So some other time then?"

"I'll have to see what my schedule is like and get back to you." She didn't even bother waiting for another reply, and walked out of the room. Yumi sank back in her chair in defeat.

I placed my hand on top of hers, which were folded on top of the table. "Yumi-san, is this why you have been so sad lately?" I asked, trying not to sound like I was intruding.

She nodded her head. "I…" she started, "I tried not to think too much into it, but she broke another date already and has been spending a lot of time with Touko-chan." She looked like she was close to crying but held the tears back. "Don't worry about me Shimako-san, Noriko-chan, I'll be alright." She patted my hand, and I took that as a cue to start packing up. We all left the mansion together, but Noriko and I hung back, watching Yumi walk slowly towards the bus stop.

"You have to do something now Onee-sama!" Noriko hissed at me, "If you don't do something, Sachiko-sama is just going to keep hurting her."

"Alright, alright, I'll wait until next week to do something, nothing we can do for now. Can you talk to Touko-chan after class tomorrow? It's Saturday so there isn't any meeting. See if she knows what's going on with Sachiko-sama."

"I'll ask her, but don't expect a normal response…"

* * *

"Touko, can I talk to you for a minute?" Noriko asked the drill-haired girl the next day after class.

The actress acknowledged the request by following the other girl out into the hallway. "What can Touko do for you Noriko-san?"

"Rosa Gigantea asked me to come and ask you about Rosa Chinensis, she has been acting oddly and wanted to know if you, as her cousin, knew what was wrong," Noriko replied bluntly. When dealing with an actress who talks in circles, it's better to get straight to the point.

Touko looked thoughtful for a moment, "Touko doesn't know, there doesn't seem to be a problem with Sachiko Onee-sama. In fact, if you want to know, just last night she called and asked me if I would spend Sunday with her at the estate."

Noriko looked startled for a moment. "But she told Yumi-sama that she was dealing with family business on Sunday," she mumbled, forgetting who she was with.

The other girl's sharp ears caught what she said. "What is this really about Noriko-san?"

Noriko motioned for Touko to be quiet and follow her to a more secluded spot. They walked outside and found themselves under the cherry blossoms where Noriko first met Shimako. "Sachiko-sama has been unusually distant and cold to Yumi-sama lately and it has been hurting her. Onee-sama is concerned."

Touko nodded sagely, "It is hard to see the person you love in pain." The short-haired girl looked shocked at Touko's statement. Touko looked at her blankly. "When I first entered high school, I saw that Rosa Gigantea seemed very melancholy. I thought that it was just because of her Onee-sama graduating, and so I thought it would lessen when she met you. However, I did what I could to observe her and found that it did not lessen, so I looked for another reason. Yumi-sama isn't in her class this year, so I deduced that that was why she was so depressed."

"But-but…" Noriko stuttered, "How did you know she had a crush on Yumi-sama."

"Touko pays attention," Touko replied flatly, "Same as how you figured it out. As far as I can tell though, no one else has figured it out. I'm surprised Rosa Foetida en Bouton hasn't called her out on it, but Rosa Gigantea seems to have hidden it well all this time. And even though she's calling it a crush, she's head over heels in love with Yumi-sama, that much I know."

Noriko sighed, "You're probably right, but back to the matter at hand, what is up with Sachiko-sama?"

Touko crossed her arms and a dark look appeared on her face. "If I know my cousin, Sachiko Onee-sama has feelings for Yumi-sama and is denying them. She always runs away from her problems, so she's pushing the source of feelings away from her, in hopes to make everything go away," Touko responded with a sigh, "She really is rather childish."

"So my Onee-sama's love will continue to go unrequited, especially if Sachiko-sama admits her feelings to Yumi-sama."

"We cannot let that happen!" Touko shot back, fire blazing in her eyes.

The other girl looked startled, "Wha-?"

"Where is Rosa Gigantea?" Touko asked

"Waiting for me in the Rose Mansion…"

"Let's go then."

* * *

I looked up startled when Touko-chan and Noriko burst through the door.

"Rosa Gigantea," Touko addressed me, "You cannot let my cousin win! You need to tell Yumi-sama how much you love her before Sachiko gets her head together."

Noriko and I both looked at Touko liked she had grown two heads, before I motioned both of them to sit down. "Now calmly explain to me what is going on," I said, keeping my serene facial expression while my brain was furiously trying to wrap itself around what was going on.

They explained the conversation that they had had and what Sachiko-sama is most likely doing. "I don't understand," I replied, looking at Touko-chan, "Don't you want Yumi and Sachiko-sama to end up together."

She shook her head, "Touko knows her family well, I know what she's like. By the time she finally confesses her feelings to Yumi-sama, she would have broken her badly. Sachiko-sama's pride and her ideals are like a cancer. She would never let down her family by canceling her engagement, but she's too selfish to let Yumi-sama go. She would poison the love that makes up so much of who Yumi-sama is, causing her to slowly die inside. I don't want to see that happen to her."

"You care about Yumi don't you?" I asked her.

She simply nodded and excused herself. "I'll keep an eye on Sachiko-sama," she told us before she left, "but you need to tell Yumi-sama how you feel and soon, before she's completely broken by my idiot cousin."

* * *

Monday came and I was nervous about confronting Yumi. I was distracted all through lessons today, thinking about how I would talk to her after the student council meeting this afternoon. It was so bad that my fellow classmates had to nudge me to get me to pay attention to the lesson. When the meeting finally came, I was on pins and needles the whole time. However, by the time it started, Yumi wasn't there.

"Excuse me Sachiko-sama," I interrupted her as she was starting the meeting, "Shouldn't we wait for Yumi-san to get here?"

"She knows what time the meeting starts," Sachiko-sama replied coolly, "If she's not here, that means she has something else to do."

I looked at her incredulously, along with everyone else in the room. Unsurprisingly, the meeting was short. No one really had much business to discuss, and with Sachiko's attitude, no one really wanted to stay. Sachiko-sama left immediately after the meeting, stating that Touko-chan was waiting for her. Yoshino-san and Rei-sama left right after she did, leaving Noriko and me alone in the building. I glanced out the window at the rain coming down. The disturbed feeling persisted and grew to epic proportions while watching drops of water trickle down the windowsill.

I got up and turned to Noriko when I could no longer take the feeling any more. "Something feels wrong," I told her, "I'm going after Sachiko-sama to look for Yumi. I feel like something is going to happen."

Noriko nodded, "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, no, I need to do this myself. I have to talk to her alone."

"Good luck Shimako-san." I smiled briefly at her before I walked out the door. Every now and then when we were alone, she called me by my name. I collected my things, changed my shoes, and started to look for Yumi when I saw something going on out towards the gate to the school.

"Yumi!" I cried, running over to the girl collapsed on the ground in the rain. I looked around for the cause of the utter anguish on the other girl's face before my eyes alighted on a sleek black car sitting a little further on down the road. Sachiko-sama was just climbing into the vehicle, while Touko-chan stood next to the car, staring helplessly back towards us. I nodded my head towards her, letting her know that I would take care of Yumi. She sighed in relief, before entering the car with the elder red rose.

My attention turned back to the girl in my arms. I hadn't realized that I wrapped her in my arms to partially shield her from the rain until I saw them around her. I also hadn't noticed my Onee-sama until she was holding an umbrella over our heads.

"Onee-sama," I murmured, looking at her. She looked at me with sympathy in her eyes.

"Come on," she said, motioning her head backwards to the woman standing behind her. "My friend here lives close by; let's get you two out of the rain and into some dry clothes."

I nodded my head in thanks to my Onee-sama and the other girl. Pulling the unresponsive girl in my arms up, I opened my forgotten umbrella to keep the rain from pelting us further. We followed the older brunette back to her house. I kept Yumi close to my side the entire time, not willing to relinquish her quite yet. It seemed she wasn't willing to give up human contact either as she clung to me the whole way there.

When we got to the house, the three of us pushed Yumi into the shower first, seizing her uniform in order to dry it. Our host pulled out clothes for the two of us to wear once we both finished our showers. As soon as Yumi was done, Onee-sama pushed me into the bathroom. I stood under the hot water thinking. I needed to tell her now, there wasn't any other option. Sachiko-sama has hurt her for the last time, and I won't stand by and let it happen again. With determination, I dried off and exited the bathroom to find Yumi sitting on the floor, with a hot drink in her hands, and our host drying her hair.

Onee-sama motioned me over and began toweling my hair off. "By the way," she said, addressing the other older girl in the room, "What's your name?"

Yumi and I jerked incredulously. "She's not your friend Sei-sama?" Yumi asked.

"I recognize her face…"

I rolled my eyes, and set my face in my hands. "Onee-sama," I muttered under my breath.

"It's Katou," the brunette replied, "Katou Kei."

"Oh yeah, now I remember you," Sei-sama cried out, proceeding to explain where she remembered her from.

I continued to glance occasionally towards Yumi, gauging her mood based on her facial expressions.

"Satou-san," Kei-sama's voice broke me out of my thoughts. "I think we should excuse ourselves for a bit. It would seem that these two," she said, pointing to Yumi and I, "have something to talk about."

"Alright alright," Onee-sama conceded. She stood up and was getting ready to go outside and poke around in the rain, when she turned back to me and said, "Good luck, Shimako." With that, both Kei-sama and Onee-sama disappeared out the door.

"What did she mean, Shimako-san?" I heard Yumi ask. I glanced at her fearfully before getting up to sit next to her.

Taking a hold of one of her hands with both of mine, I took a deep breath. "I need," I started slowly, "I need you to listen to me completely before you say anything." I saw her nod her head, before I looked back down at the hand held between my own. Not looking away from the hand I held, I began. "Since the first time I saw you last year in our class, I've been fascinated by you. This fascination quickly grew into something else. You were so kind to everyone, but also so terribly insecure that I wanted to be your friend but didn't know how to approach you. As the year went on and we became friends, the fascination and adoration I had for you quickly grew into something else. It grew into love. I love you, Yumi, I'm _in_ love with you." I felt Yumi's hand twitch a little when I told her how I felt, but when it didn't automatically jerk back, I continued on with more confidence. "By the time that I had come to realize and acknowledge my love for you, it was too late, I could tell that you had developed feelings for Sachiko-sama, and I didn't want to get in between you two. I was content to continue to watch you and be your friend. But," I choked up a little, tears threatening to make their way down my face, "But these past few days have been so hard on me, to watch the one I love in pain and not be able to do anything. Please! Give me a chance to help you, to love you like you're meant to be loved."

"I…" Yumi began, "I don't know what to say. I still love Sachiko-sama, Shimako-san."

I nodded my head, "I know that you do, but can you just give me a chance to prove how much I love you, that I am better for you."

Yumi looked contemplative for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll give you a chance. But don't get me wrong, I do care about you Shimako, but I don't know if it'll grow into love or not."

I smiled wide at hearing my name come out of her mouth without a suffix and hugged the other to me. "But that is my job isn't it," I whispered in her ear, "to seduce you into loving me."

The brunette laughed, "Now I can really see the resemblances between you and Sei-sama, are you going to start acting like a dirty old man now too?"

I pulled back and shot Yumi and Sei-worthy smirk, "I'll do what I have to win your heart, make no mistake about that."

* * *

**A/N: No idea... Just Review, No flames, You have nothing nice to say? Go away...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Don't get use to these speedy updates. I'm trying to make these chapters shorter than my SM fic Defying Gravity's chapters, because they range anywhere between 5,000-10,000 words... I have alot to say apparently. Shorter chapters means I get the chapters to you, the viewing public, sooner. However, half this chapter was written when I had my stress attack and wrote half of this story as a One-shot. Things obviously had to be changed for a longer story.**

**Anyway, Chapter summary sorta: **With a goal in sight, Shimako goes completely out of character, like completely. However, I feel has if she has the potential to behave in this manner, based on how she reacted in Season 3, episode 4 when she caught sight of her father at the athletic meet. I feel she has potential as a character to be explored more, she didn't get a whole lot of attention in the series.

**Another anyway, alot of people like the Noriko and Touko interactions, and I'm going to try to have some of them in every chapter, because I think they have so much to offer to the story, and they will get together in their own time, but won't be til down the line a bit.**

**Alright, enough from me I think, have fun kids. Any spellings errors I'm sorry, but I was trying to satisfy the masses**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 2**

I arrived at school the next day with a game plan in mind. The prize for winning the game was Yumi's heart, so I wasn't about to mess this up. I saw Noriko waiting for me in front of Maria-sama.

"Good day Noriko," I greeted her cheerfully, as we continued on towards school.

"I have a feeling that something good happened yesterday," Noriko commented, "Care to share?"

"Is Yumi-sama all right?" She asked. The younger girl looked severely concerned, which was an unusual sight for Noriko and me because the actress rarely dropped her mask. Noticing the looks on our faces, Touko explained. "I was concerned about her being in all of that rain yesterday, and I really care about her. I can only hope that she won't see me as the enemy."

Noriko looked thoughtfully at her fellow first year, "You want to be her petite-soeur don't you?"

Touko-chan acquired that 'deer caught in the headlights' look, before gazing mournfully at the ground. "I have no hope for that now," she whispered, "I just hope she'll be able to forgive me for the part I unwillingly played in Sachiko-sama's cowardice."

I had noticed Yumi walking up to us out of the corner of my eye as Touko was talking, but the younger girl didn't see her.

"Of course I can forgive you," Yumi said, startling Touko, "as for the other matter, well, we'll see what happens."

Touko blushed bright red, before running away. Noriko chuckled, "I think you broke her Yumi-sama, I better go after her." She excused herself before heading towards the school building.

I turned back to Yumi, and saw her blushing and looking down at the ground. "How are you doing today Yumi, you didn't get sick being in all that rain did you?" I asked, grabbing her hand and intertwining our fingers.

She blushed further, staring at our hands, before looking up at me. I saw appreciation and adoration forming in her eyes. "I'm doing okay, but I'm wondering why you're being even more affectionate than normal Shimako-san."

My grin was a mile wide as I started tugging her towards the school. "I told you," I began, "I am going to prove my love for you."

She pulled on my hand, signaling me to stop. "I don't want to disappoint you Shimako-san, but it might take awhile. I don't know if I'll ever get over Sachiko-sama."

Smiling at her reassuringly, I led her out to the cherry trees I love so much. "I don't want you to forget about your love for her, she's your first love! I don't think you could forget that easily," I told her when we stopped, "But I hope that maybe, you'll come to see me as just as important to you as she is, or maybe even more."

Yumi smiled at me. "I think you're off to a good start," she whispered before kissing my cheek, "A very good start." With that, she turned and headed to the shoe lockers. I stood frozen, rooted to the ground, my cheeks a healthy crimson and my hand touching the spot where Yumi had kissed me. An uncharacteristically goofy grin spread across my face as I reveled in my small victory in winning Yumi's heart. I floated back towards the shoe lockers and put my indoor shoes on, before heading to class for the day.

* * *

As soon as the lunch bell rang, I grabbed my lunch and headed towards the second year pine class. Just before I got there, I saw Yumi and Yoshino-san arguing about something. The closer I got, the more of the conversation I heard, and it seemed like Yoshino-san was trying to bully my love into coming to the Rose Mansion for lunch. _Not bloody likely, _I thought.

"Good day Yoshino-san," I said to her, interrupting the pending argument forming between the two of them. They both jumped at my voice, turning to look at me, Yoshino-san with slight irritation in her eyes, and my Yumi, with gratitude and relief. Her face adopted a wide smile upon seeing me, which I returned with one of my own.

Yoshino-san looked at us both suspiciously, but wisely chose not to ask about it at the present time. "Well, since I can't convince you to come to the Rose Mansion, then I'll take my leave, but remember Yumi-san, I'm your friend and I'm thinking about you."

"Yes, thank you Yoshino-san, I'll see you after lunch then," Yumi replied, sending off our other friend. I watched Yoshino-san leave with just a tad bit of relief in my heart, which blossomed into happiness when Yumi turned towards me and smiled. "Hi Shimako-san," she greeted me, "What brings you over here?"

I smiled at her, "I was wondering if you would eat lunch with me? I know it's the rainy season, so we can't really eat lunch out by the cherry trees, but we can go somewhere else, if that is alright with you?"

"I would love to eat lunch with you," Yumi answered, running back to her desk to retrieve her lunch. I waited patiently outside the classroom for her. She came back out, her lunch in tow, and grabbed my hand before heading down the hallway. "Where are we going?"

"Well," I started, tugging her off in a certain direction, "When I don't want to go to the Rose Mansion and the weather doesn't permit me to sit with the ginkgo and cherry trees, I found a nice secluded spot that is still outside in the fresh air, but covered to keep the rain out."

"That sounds good," Yumi agreed, giving me a bright smile that melted my insides into mush.

I led her to a covered walkway that had a small bench to look outside. We sat down to eat our lunches and made small talk in the beginning. Eventually I managed to steer the conversation away from anything to do with school and away from anything that might make Yumi unhappy, like Sachiko-sama. We spoke about what we liked to do in our spare time; I spoke of my love for gardening, and Yumi surprised me by telling me she loved to play video games.

"I never pictured you as the type to play video games," I chuckled, trying to imagine her as the grungy gamer type.

She giggled, which caused me to smile again. "I don't play them that often, but growing up with a little brother close to my age, we find things to do together. Playing video games, and going to the arcade were among the things we did together. We liked different types of games though, so sometimes we got into fights about it."

"What kind of games do you like?" I asked her, completely curious. I don't think anyone at Lillian knew about this side of her, so I was grateful to be the only one to know.

"Random stuff really, 1st person games, mystery, adventure or spooky games and I really love racing games, like cars or motorcycles," she started to get really excited and started telling me of all the different games she has played in the past.

I smile and continued to listen to her talk until it was time to go back to our respective classrooms. I did my best to focus for the rest of the afternoon on my class work, but occasionally I slipped up.

That afternoon, before the meeting, I was, unfortunately, cornered by hurricane-Yoshino.

"What is going on between you and Yumi-san?" Yoshino-san whispered, mindful of Noriko and Touko, who were preparing the tea.

"I don't really want to talk about this now Yoshino-san," I returned, trying my best to ignore her.

Yoshino looked like she was ready to strike again, like a viper, before Noriko interrupted, defusing the bomb. "Let it go Yoshino-sama," Noriko said, coming over with the tea for Yoshino and me, "Onee-sama and Yumi-sama will tell you when they're ready."

I nodded my head in agreement; my eyes pleading with Yoshino to just lay off for a while. I was secretly afraid that her insistence and pushy behavior would drive Yumi off before I got a chance to woo her.

At that moment, Rei-sama and Sachiko-sama walked into the room, ending the conversation and beginning the meeting. It took all my will-power to not reach out and smack Sachiko-sama when I saw her. Thankfully we weren't anywhere near each other or she would have been seeing stars. _Where did this violent side of me come from? _I wondered for a moment, before figuring it was just my protective side coming out finally.

"What are you doing here Touko-chan?" The unspeakable one spoke.

"Yumi-sama asked me to help out here while she is unable to come; she assured me it would only be for a few days."

I saw Sachiko nod briefly, before getting down to business. The meeting was again brief, so it was finished rather quickly. Noriko and I left soon after the meeting was concluding, claiming a prior arrangement. Really, the only arrangement I had was to see Yumi home. She promised to wait for me by the cherry trees during the meeting.

Noriko headed to the bus stop with a smirk on her face, while I rushed towards the trees. I smiled broadly when I saw that Yumi was indeed waiting for me. "How was the meeting?" She asked as we also made our way to the bus stop.

"Boring and not worth talking about," I answered her, moving onto other topics.

We again talked about random things on the bus, and I quickly kissed her cheek when we said goodbye at the train station; feeling her skin heat up under my lips caused me to leave with a goofy smile on my face. All in all, it was a very good day.

* * *

The rest of the week passed by in much the same manner. True to her word, Yumi had returned to the Rose Mansion by Thursday. Sachiko remained indifferent to her, and it irritated me greatly whenever she caused a pained look to enter Yumi's eyes. Yoshino-san still desired some answers, but decided to wait until we were ready to tell her, which Yumi and I greatly appreciated.

"Hey Shimako-san," Yumi started one day when we were at lunch, "Do you think Sachiko-sama could ever love me?"

I nearly choked on my food with that question, my eyes tearing up a little. "I don't know," I answered her, trying to figure out how to answer her question, "It would be selfish of me to tell you that she couldn't love you completely and that she'll continue hurting you, but I honestly don't know."

Yumi sighed and stood up, "You say that it would be selfish of you to tell me that, but I also think it would be honest. I know that's why she probably would do. I know all of her failings in her personality, for as strong as she is she is also a coward."

I remained silent because it seemed like Yumi wasn't speaking to me, but to herself. "You deserve someone better than me Shimako-san, you deserve someone who isn't hung up on someone else who could never love her," she murmured, not even looking at me.

I stood up quickly, and turned her around so I could look her in the eyes. "Hey," I said, forcing her to keep eye contact, "I said I would stick with you for however long it takes. It's only been a week; I didn't expect you to fall out of love with Sachiko that fast, ya gotta make me work for it ya know. You don't really have faith in my seduction skills do you?"

Yumi choked back a laugh. "I'm sorry Shimako-san," she said, "I guess Sachiko-sama's behavior is just getting to me, stressing me out and such."

"It's alright, she's stressing me out too, not being a very agreeable person to work with right now, grouchy." I smiled as Yumi giggled, her typical good mood returning. "Now, how about next Saturday night we go out on a date, just as friends and just for fun, to relieve some stress," I asked her.

The smile Yumi gave me left me a quivering mess, but the response after was enough to melt my insides again. _She's doing a better job at seducing me than I am of her! _"Thank you Shimako, and thanks for listening to me this week. I don't I've had such interesting conversations not dealing with school or student council work since I've entered high school. It really means a lot to me."

"Anything for you."

* * *

"What do I do, what do I do?" I paced frantically, completely stressed out. I was in the Rose Mansion, stressing out. "I asked her out on a date?! A friend date? Why would I do that?"

I heard the door open in the midst of my pacing and I looked over at the door. Noriko and Touko-chan were standing there with different expressions. Noriko was looking at me in shock, mouth hanging open, while Touko-chan was looking quite amused.

"What?" I hissed at them, surprising myself, "Why am I acting like this? I never act like this!" And I resumed my pacing.

"I've never seen your Onee-sama lose her cool like this," Touko-chan murmured to Noriko, "It's amusing to see her actually act her age."

"It's traumatizing," Noriko muttered back. "Onee-sama calm down," she said to me.

I turned to her, pulling at my hair, "I can't calm down! I asked her out on a date, technically just as friends, but still a date! Even though we're going as friends, she might use this date as a factor whether to decide to actually date me or not! What am I going to do?!" I squatted down towards the floor, grabbing my head and shaking it back and forth.

"Rosa Gigantea, calm down, breathe!" Touko-chan ordered, grabbing me by my shoulders as I started hyperventilating. I sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. "Now, what did you do? And tell us calmly."

My heart rate started to pick up again at the thought of what I had done at lunchtime, but I quickly brought it down again. I debated internally for a few moments about whether it was a good thing or not that Yumi could completely rip apart my normally cool façade but didn't resolve on anything conclusive. "Well," I started, in a much calmer, easier to understand voice, "It started like our normal lunches together, but then she started to get sad and stuff, and I hate to see her said, so I asked her to go on a friend date with me next Saturday night."

"There, was that so hard to talk like a rational person," Touko-chan asked as she stood up and moved to the chairs around the table, "Now all you have to do is sit down like a rational person so we can discuss this."

I glared at the drill-haired girl and I heard my own petite-soeur stifle a giggle behind me. Pushing myself up, I grabbed onto the closest chair I could get to and fell into it, sprawling out on the table. Touko-chan snorted, "If only the masses could see the normally sweet, calm and put together Rosa Gigantea now."

"Shut-up Touko-chan," I muttered face down in the table. There was just something about Yumi that made me come apart at the seams, taking me from my normal controlled life into a chaotic realm of confusion and love.

"Stop teasing my Onee-sama Touko," Noriko chided the other girl. "Now, Onee-sama, what is so bad about you asking Yumi-sama out on a date?"

"I don't know what to do?" I sighed, propping my head up on my hands.

Touko snorted again, "Is that all? Why didn't you just say that at the beginning, right now we're thinking more clearly than you are, so we'll help you."

"Yeah Onee-sama, I mean, Yumi-sama's your best friend right? So you should know what she likes," Noriko added, looking at me expectantly.

I nodded, but before I could say anything, Touko-chan interrupted me, "Oh, but don't take her anywhere romantic." I stared at her blankly.

"I'm trying to seduce her, so shouldn't I take her somewhere romantic?" I asked.

She merely rolled her eyes at me, "Sometimes I wonder if you're always this clueless of if Yumi-sama is rubbing off on you…" My eyes glazed over when she said 'Yumi' and 'rubbing' in the same sentence. I was broken out of my daydream when the psychotic actress snapped her fingers at me.

"Onee-sama," Noriko whispered, "You're drooling." She pointed to her own chin to show me and I realized I did have a little bit of drool on my chin.

Quickly wiping it off, I looked at the two first years in the room with me, "Neither of you saw that."

Noriko giggled again while Touko-chan merely smirked. "Anyway, as I was saying," drill-haired girl said, "You can't take Yumi-sama somewhere romantic because you asked her out on a friend date, so therefore, you need to take her someplace she would go with her friends and not necessarily a romantic interest.

I thought for a minute before I sat straight up, "Ah, I know, an arcade! She said she loves playing video games, and she used to go to an arcade with her brother."

"Do you know what type of games she likes? If so you can find an arcade that has more of those types of games," Noriko put in.

I thought for a moment, before picking up all of my stuff and dashing towards the door, "I need to do research, thanks for all your help, I'll see you two next week, good day."

* * *

"I've never seen Shimako-san act like that before," Noriko said, still staring at the door, "She's always seemed so mature and calm, but just now she was acting…"

"Like a typical teenage girl in love?" Touko put in, "It's completely natural, well, not completely, those reactions were a little intense, but maybe she's just had all that intensity locked up for so long it escaped."

"Maybe," Noriko murmured still wondering about the change in her Onee-sama. "Do you really think that she'll be okay on her date, that they'll both be okay? I know you're just as concerned for Yumi-sama as I am for Shimako-san, don't think I haven't noticed you going out of the way to spend some time with her this week, stopping by her classroom to see her, or dropping in to help in the Rose Mansion when your club activities permit it."

Touko's cheeks reddened at bit, but she coughed it away, "Touko doesn't know what you're referring to Noriko." The black haired girl bit back a smile at that. "But anyway," Touko continued, "I think they'll be okay right?"

They both sat in silence for a few moments before Noriko spoke up, "You don't think we should… Check in on them do you?"

The actress grinned a devious grin. "I think you mean follow Noriko, and yes, I really do."

* * *

**A/N: Review s'il vous plait**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm going to try and update this at least every weekend at some point if I can manage it. If I don't get it in on the weekend, it'll probably come out sometime the next week, but these chapters aren't long, so I don't foresee a problem unless some parts get difficult on me. I'm hoping they won't. Anyway, I was really disappointed with you people, I didn't get near as many reviews for the 2nd chapter as I did the first, so let's try again shall we? And I like longer reviews, they keep me motivated to write.**

**Chapter summary: **The date, I know right, that's basically all this is. Shimako doesn't get too carried away with herself unlike her complete meltdown in chapter 2. I based the arcade in this scene after the last arcade I went to which was in a mall. It was fun and stuff, but I miss going to them... I miss gaming. Other than the games specifically mentioned, if you want to insert your own favorite game into what they were playing, go right ahead, imagination and all that. Cute moments between Noriko and Touko, some things may have been repeated, but some stuff was too cute to not write again. Oh and at the end, you get a brief insight as to what is going on with Yumi during this mess.

**REVIEW! that is very important, don't forget to do dat, REVIEW!**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 3**

I stood in the middle of the train station waiting for Yumi to arrive for our 'friend' date. All week I was researching on the perfect place to go, weighing the pros and cons of each place. I had told Yumi to dress casual, something easy to move around in, of course I had to dig out something to wear myself. I was fidgeting, pulling at the jeans I was wearing. I had managed to find one pair of jeans in the back of my closet, along with a plain long-sleeve t-shirt and a jacket. I felt a little out of sorts, but I figured if Yumi was going to be casual, then so was I. Plus, Touko-chan and Noriko made it very clear to me that I shouldn't make this into a romantic date so dressing up would actually work against me.  
My inner thought processes stopped when I saw Yumi stepped through the turnstiles. She was dressed casually, in jeans and a jacket, as I had specified, but she still made my heart flutter when she walked up to me with a large smile on her face.

"Hey Shimako-san, I see I dressed appropriately," she said, gesturing to herself. I gave her a quick once over, trying not to look like I was staring.

"Yeah you look great," I swallowed, "Now let's go, where we're going is only a few blocks from here." I grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the station. About 15 minutes later, we arrived in front of the arcade.

Yumi started to bounce up and down, "I haven't been here in years Shimako-san, this was Yuuki and mine's favorite arcade to visit when we were in middle school. How did you know?"

I grinned, "Well, I remember what you said about your favorite types of games so I looked up the best arcades with those games and this was the closest one to the train station." She grabbed me in a quick hug before pulling me into the arcade.

* * *

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Noriko said as they watched Shimako fidget from a few terminals down.

"You were the one to suggest that we follow them, ya know, make sure that your Onee-sama doesn't mess up the first date," Touko retorted, adjusting her 'disguise.'

"But you made it very clear to her that this wasn't technically a date, it's just a 'friend' date," Noriko reminded her, "And what exactly are you dressed as?"

"Myself," Touko hissed, "I didn't put my hair up."

"Ah, that's why you look different."

"Shut-up, Yumi-sama just arrived."

They watched as the two roses greeted each other and headed out of the station. "I guess it's a good thing that Yumi-sama told you where they were meeting," Noriko said as they followed the older girls discreetly from a distance.

"Well we have been spending a bit more time together recently," Touko said, cheeks reddening a bit, "I mean, she doesn't spend all of her free time with your Onee-sama, so I wanted to get some time with her before they start dating."

Noriko looked at her friend, "How do you know they're going to start dating?"

Touko scoffed, "Oh please, it's obvious that Rosa Gigantea is going to wear her down eventually. Plus, she gets pretty adorable when she's in love; it's only a matter of time before Yumi-sama realizes it as well. And the sooner she gets over Sachiko-sama, the better."

"Well, on that we both agree, she's not exactly the warmest and most loving person in the world," Noriko commented.

"Oh don't get me wrong," Touko hurriedly said, "Sachiko-sama can be loving, it's just when it comes to her family, she often makes the wrong choices… Ah, they stopped in front of the arcade… Yumi-sama looks excited."

"I didn't really believe Shimako-san when she said that Yumi liked arcade games, but I guess she does, amazing," Noriko murmured, watching the two older girls enter the colorful building, "Now what do we do?"

Touko turned to glare at her, "What do you mean now what? We go in of course!"

"What? We can't, we'll be seen."

The actress grabbed the reluctant brunette and started dragging her toward the arcade, "If we're sneaky, we won't be seen, but if we're caught, we're just two friends, out for a good time at the arcade."

"Have you ever been to an arcade before?"

"No but it can't be too complicated right?"

* * *

"Alright, so what do I do exactly," I asked Yumi as she sat down next to me.

"Well, you sit back, and grab the steering wheel in front of you," Yumi instructed. I did as she said. "Now, put your foot on the pedal," I did, "Okay, good, you're on the left side of the screen and I'm on the right. Rules are simple, don't crash."

"Okay, where are the brakes?" I asked as the game started.

"What do you need brakes for? Just press the gas and go."

I saw Yumi's car take off on her side of the screen, so I pressed the gas on my side. "Eek," I grab a hold of the wheel and started swerving, "How can you handle this?" I was swerving around other cars and into ditches, dodging things in the road and obstacles tossed at me by the other 'drivers.'

"It's fun," Yumi replied laughing. I could tell by the scenery that she was way ahead of me and already ahead of the other drivers.

"It's stressful," I mumbled, when suddenly something appeared on the screen in front of me. I screeched and involuntarily pulled the wheel and crashed in the embankment. Game Over blink at me smugly on the screen as I stare at the smoked wreckage of what had been my car. I glanced over at Yumi's screen and my eyes narrowed at the big, bright 'Winner' flashing in the center.

Yumi laughed at my pout, which made me smile. "Maybe racing games aren't your forte," she said, "C'mon, let's see if you're good at Whack-a-Mole." She pulled her tickets out of the slot and pocketed them before moving over to the brightly colored station. "You know how to do this one right?" She asked, picking up a mallet.

I nodded my head, "It seems pretty self-explanatory, whack the mole." I picked up the other mallet and Yumi put the token in, started the game. We both shrieked and started hitting the creatures popping out of the holes. "That was more fun and less stressful, but I'm not sure about it," I told Yumi as she pulled our tickets out.

"Alright, well, how about the arcade classic Pacman? It's pretty simple and a lot of fun. It's a solo game but it should be right next to the duck hunter game if I remember correctly, which I love playing," Yumi suggested, tugging me off in a different direction, dodging the other kids and teenagers there for a Saturday night out.

She pushed me in front of an older looking game, compared to some of the others in the arcade. I glanced quickly at the directions and realized it was simple enough to understand and nodded to Yumi that it was okay for her to go play her game, which was right next to Pacman.

Placing a token in the machine, the game started and I quickly learned how to use the toggle and buttons to navigate the little pie shaped creature through the maze. I yelped when the game ended because I ran into one of the ghosts, so I started it again, determination etched on my face. I became so lost in the game I didn't realize how much time had passed; I just kept going to different levels in the game. Unfortunately, I hit a tough spot on one of the higher levels and the game ended.

"You're really good at Pacman Shimako-san," Yumi's voice startled me.

I put my hand to my chest, trying to still the rapid beating. "How long have you been standing there?"

Yumi smiled, "Just a little while, I could tell you were having fun."

"I was actually, this game is rather fun," I replied, smiling at her.

"I'm glad you're having fun Shimako-san, I know that the only reason you picked the arcade was because I told you I liked playing video games."

I blushed a little at that, "Well, I've never really been to an arcade, so I wouldn't know if I liked them or not. What other games should we play?"

Fortunately for me, Yumi decided to go with my conversation change. "Hmm, how about I trounce you in a round of Dance Dance Revolution," she said, grinning.

I looked at her perplexed, "I don't know what that is but it sounds scary…"

* * *

"Are we really going to watch them all night? Hiding behind different game consoles so they don't see us," Noriko asked as she was crouched down behind Zombie Invasion.

"Do you have a better idea?" Touko retorted from her position behind Alien Attack.

Noriko stood up from her hiding place and dragged the actress out into the open. "Yes," she said, pulling Touko toward the counter, "We get some tokens and have some fun, I mean, when in Rome right?"

Touko thought for a moment before nodding, "I guess you're right, but have you ever been to an arcade before?"

"Eh, not really, I didn't really have any friends that would consider going to arcades at my old school. Have you?"

"Are you kidding? With my family, yeah right, asking to go the arcade probably would have made as much sense to them if I had asked to go to a soccer game," Touko responded, "And I hate soccer."

"Oh dear, well, I guess we'll just have to wing it."

Touko studied the various arcade games and shook her head. "Why don't we just go to the snack bar and get some food?"

Noriko nodded her head as she looked at some of the games in confusion, "That's a good idea. A guy playing one of the games we were hiding behind said that the snack bar has good nachos."

"What are nachos?" Touko's face scrunched up in confusion.

"… Oh dear…"

* * *

"No more, no more," I cried, slinking off the DDR machine, "How can you do this thing?"

Yumi just laughed at me as she helped me up. "Practice," was all she said between bouts of laughter. "How about we go to the snack bar, get some food and rest for a while," Yumi suggested.

I could have hugged her if my legs weren't so wobbly. "That sounds like a good idea," I conceded, letting Yumi help me towards the food area. Truthfully, I kinda liked being this close to her, and milked it for all it was worth, leaning a little bit closer to her and squeezing her hand out of appreciation.

"Do you know what you want to eat?"

I looked at the colorful pictures, completely mystified as to what to get. "I have no idea," I finally admitted, "Why don't you pick and we can share?"

"Well, the thing really good to eat here is the nachos, we can get an order of super nachos. Chicken or Beef?"

"Chicken please."

Yumi placed the order for the nachos and drinks. We split the price for the food, and when it was done we turned to sit down and spotted some familiar faces.

"Is that Touko-chan and Noriko-chan?" Yumi asked, looking at one of the tables in the back.

"I think so…" Outwardly, I appeared calm, but inwardly I was seething. I know that they followed us here to supervise our date.

"Why don't we go sit with them?" Yumi suggested, smiling at me.

My anger slipped away looking at her smiling face, "Yeah sure, let's go."

We walked over to the two first years' table without them seeing us and surprised them. "Do you mind if we join you?" I asked, smiling sweetly at them.

They started at my voice and turned their heads towards us in fear. _That's right, you better be afraid,_ I thought, still smiling at them.

"Oh, Yumi-sama, Rosa Gigantea, how surprising. We didn't know you were going to be here today, yes you can join us, can't they Noriko?" Touko-chan answered, living up to her reputation as a fine actress.

"Um, er, yes, of course they can; it is good to see you Onee-sama," Noriko responded, not quite as well as Touko-chan.

Yumi slid into the booth next to Touko-chan, placing the food tray down on the table. I copied her moments, sitting next to Noriko-chan. "So what are you two doing here?" Yumi asked them as she scooped up her first cheese and chicken loaded chip.

Touko-chan answered before Noriko did. "We realized that we didn't really do anything as friends outside of school so we decided to go to the arcade. This one was closest to the train station."

"I didn't know you liked to go to arcades, Noriko," I directed the statement towards my petite soeur. It was mean, but I wanted to see if she could think on her feet like Touko-chan and continue with the deception that they weren't just spying on Yumi and I. Though, I knew that they could tell that the only person they were fooling was the pigtailed girl.

"Er, um, well, I haven't ever been to one, and neither has Touko, so we thought we would see what the hype was about," Noriko rushed out.

Yumi perked up, "Oh, well, if you want me to show you some of the games and stuff I can, I've been showing Shimako around." That's my Yumi, big-hearted, completely oblivious Yumi.

"No that's okay Yumi-sama, we don't want to put you out. Actually, Noriko and I were just about to leave as soon as we finished eating, right Noriko?" Touko-chan said, blushing slightly.

"Right Yumi-sama, you don't need to put yourselves out, we were leaving anyway," Noriko agreed, sliding out the other side of the booth.

"Touko-chan copied her movements and slide out the booth. "I'll see you on Monday Yumi-sama?" It was supposed to be a statement but came out more like a question.

"Yes," Yumi confirmed, "If you want to spend some time at the Rose Mansion after the meeting and your club activities you can. We can spend some time together. By the way, I didn't get a chance to tell you that your hair looks nice down."

Touko-chan blushed. "C'mon Noriko," she said in a harsh voice, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"See you on Monday Onee-sama," Noriko said, following the other girl out of the arcade.

Yumi turned back towards me, "Well that was strange."

Completely content with leaving Yumi in the dark about what they were really doing here, I merely smiled at her, "It was a strange coincidence wasn't it?"

"Yes," Yumi replied, "But Shimako-san, you haven't tried the nachos yet, eat, before the cheese gets cold and stops being deliciously gooey."

I looked at the plate of nachos in front of me. It was a pile of chips, cheese, and chicken topped with tomatoes, jalapenos and sour cream. I hesitantly picked up a chip covered with everything and took a bite. As the flavor exploded in my mouth, I look up at Yumi in appreciation. "This is delicious," I proclaimed, seizing another chip, "You might have to get your own because I might eat this whole plate."

"Hey," Yumi protested, battling to get her own share of the chips. We both started laughing at how absurd we were acting. Quickly, we finished the rest of the chips, battling for the various toppings and giggling the whole time.

For another hour, we played more games and won more tickets for prizes. I cycled through some of the 'older' games as Yumi called them, like Pacman and Pong, while Yumi bounced around to the various action and shooter games that the arcade had. She tried to talk me into another round on the racing game, but I got tired of seeing the smoking wreckage of a car swirling on the screen. A few times I looked over at Yumi and saw her looking at me with a confused expression on her face very briefly before she caught me looking and cleared her face. I wondered at her expression, trying to figure out what it could mean, but I waved it off, choosing instead to enjoy the time I had with her.

We walked back to the train station holding hands, laughing and talking about various things. I hugged her goodbye at the station, probably longer than I should have, but I reluctantly let her go. She smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek before heading to her train home. I watched her walk away for a minute then headed towards my own train. A goofy, wistful smile accompanied me all the way home and didn't leave my face even as I lay in bed slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

While Shimako had no problem falling asleep that night, Yumi stayed awake, looking out her bedroom window. Sleep eluded her when she first went to bed, her mind too busy thinking on all that had happened during the date.

"What is this feeling?" she murmured into the night, still trying to sort out everything that her mind and heart were telling her.

She turned her head towards her desk next to her bed and picked up the framed photograph that sat there. It was the picture that started it all; her beloved Onee-sama fixing her scarf on that fateful day, the day that changed her life.

"I love Sachiko-sama, I know I do," she said down to the picture, tenderly brushing the picture of her Onee-sama. "But what is this I am feeling for Shimako-san?" She again addressed the picture she was holding.

Yumi placed the picture back on the desk and turned towards the window once again. "What _am_ I feeling for Shimako?" The question was left hanging in the air as the asker fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Review s'il vous plait**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter was hard to write for some reason, but your reviews kept me going. You know why I ask for long reviews? Because they give me ideas for things to add into the story. I mean, I have the main plot kinda set out, but individual scenes? No, but you guys give me ideas for them, and I am deeply grateful to that. To all my guest reviewers, I'm glad you're stopping in, even if it's just to see Noriko and Touko, that's fine. A little bad news thought, not much of them in this chapter, they are there, just not the normal two-shot scenes I give you that are hysterical. Some mention that Shimako is a bit out of character, and she is, not denying it. I think people have the potential to be crazy given the correct motivations.**

**Anyway, so far ideas given to me: A Sachiko scene, yes we will get to her, but she's still pouting somewhere, not sure what she's doing at the moment. A Sei cameo appearance, she will appear later in the fic somewhere, also not sure when, and of course, the ever present Yoshino, who is actually a big part of this chapter.**

**Also note, I looked up the japanese school schedule (they are in school aprox 10 months of the year, almost 6 days a week... I would die, I really would, but I guess they have a harder language to learn with the kanji and everything, i don't know), anyway, I had to get the timeline down, and as of Ch 4, we are at the end of April, but if anyone knows if the show or books were specific when the first year ceremony was, please let me know so I can make corrections in my notes.**

**Chapter summary: It might be a little flat since I've never had conversations like these, but I gave it my best shot. **Student council meeting, i don't know why they meet when they have nothing important to discuss, but they do so blah blah blah there. Yoshino and Yumi have a talk, and Yumi maybe has a break through sorta. Shimako, Noriko and Touko have a discussion as well, and finally a small little scene between Yumi and Shimako at the end to keep everyone satisfied til next week.

**P.S. if anyone has any ideas for what Shimako should do to the two first years, let me know, I have no clue, really, i spent all week trying to think of something.**

**REVIEW! that is very important, don't forget to do dat, REVIEW!**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 4**

All day Sunday I continued to exist in my post-Yumi date bliss, which lasted all the way until Monday morning on my way to school. I realized as I boarded the bus to Lillian that I needed to regain my school persona or people will get suspicious. I put on my normal serene face, and walked through the gates of the school, smiling slightly at those that greeted me. Walking up to the statue of the Virgin Mary, I smiled at whom I saw there.

"Good day Yumi," I said my pigtailed love interest.

She looked up at me, startled and for a moment I thought I saw something cross her eyes, but it was gone before I could understand what it was. "Good day Shimako-san, how was the rest of your weekend?"

I bowed my head briefly to send up a quiet prayer as per my usual custom, before I turned to her and answered her question. "It was very pleasant, how was yours?"

"Good as well, just spent the time catching up on my homework," she replied, blushing slightly to my utter confusion. We walked towards the Rose Mansion for the morning meeting when Yumi reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me. "Shimako-san," Yumi started, "I hope you're not disappointed, but I was wondering if I could skip our daily lunch today?"

My heart stopped beating for a moment, wondering if I did something wrong. "Yeah, it's okay," I swallowed, "May I ask why?"

She must've seen the hesitancy on my face because Yumi gave me a soft smile and lightly squeezed my hand. "It's okay, I just want to talk to Yoshino-san. She's been glaring at me since this started, trying to figure out what has been going on, so I wanted to tell her, if that is all right with you?"

Internally I gave a big sigh of relief, but outwardly I just returned her smile. "She's your best friend, and I understand how pushy she is, I mean, she's my best friend too, so of course I understand. I'm okay with whatever you tell her," I told her, "but do you really have anything to tell her?"

Yumi shrugged, "I'm not sure, all I know is that Yoshino-san, in her own way, has the ability to get through to the heart of the problem… Well really, she just blasts her way through." We both giggled at that and made our way inside the building. "By the way Shimako-san, you're my best friend too," she murmured quietly before we entered the meeting room.

I stifled a smile as we walked in the room. My eyes narrowed as I caught sight of the two first years present in the room quickly preparing tea. Yumi greeted Touko-chan and Noriko pleasantly and exchanged the normal greetings. The two turned towards me and I smiled sweetly at them, "Touko-chan, Noriko, how nice to see you two again."

"Yes, er, ah, good day Onee-sama," Noriko said, placing a cup of tea down in front of me. When I noticed that Yumi wasn't paying attention, I whispered to Noriko, "We will talk about this later, at lunch?"

She stiffened slightly, before nodding her head in agreement, a look of dread entering her eyes. I motioned towards Touko-chan, indicating that I expected her to be present for the conversation as well. The spiral-haired girl's eyes widened a little bit to show that she got the message, but she couldn't reply because Yumi started talking to her.

I saw Touko-chan blush a little bit when Yumi started paying attention to her, but sniffed it away to maintain her slightly haughty attitude. "When do you think those two are going to become soeurs?" I asked Noriko as she sat down next to me.

"I don't think it'll be very long, but they still have a ways to go," Noriko murmured back to me, "Touko has walls built up around her."

I gave her a soft smile, "Then I can't think of anyone better than Yumi to be her Onee-sama can you?"

She was about to reply, before the yellow rose family came through the door. Yoshino-san eyed Yumi and I suspiciously but sat down without making a fuss. Touko-chan gave her and Rei-sama tea before settling back in her seat next to Yumi. We waited a few more minutes for Sachiko-sama to show up before starting the meeting. Ten minutes passed before the Red Rose graced us with her presence. She nodded in greeting to everyone in the room, keeping that cold and indifferent attitude towards her petite soeur. However, I noticed that her expression waivered slightly when she saw Yumi, almost as if she were considering something, before it hardened once more.

There wasn't much to the meeting, simply catching up on what has been going on and filing reports on club schedules. After about 10 minutes, the meeting was over and Sachiko made her grand escape. Rei-sama left as well, saying that she had to go checkout a book from the library before class started.

The two third years left, while the first years cleaned the tea up. "Yoshino-san," Yumi started while Touko-chan and Noriko were distracted. I glanced down through my homework to give them a semblance of privacy. "Do you think we could have lunch together somewhere today," Yumi continued, "I mean, we haven't talked in a while and I miss talking to you."

Yoshino-san's eyebrow quirked up and she looked at Yumi suspiciously. I saw her eyes dart to me, but I kept my head down buried in my papers to avoid eye contact to keep up the pretence that I wasn't listening. "So you want to talk to me now?" Yoshino-san asked.

"Yes Yoshino-san, I want to talk to you."

The dark-haired brunette nodded her head, "Alright, where?"

Yumi thought for a minute before looking over at me, "If Shimako-san doesn't mind, we can go out to her usual spot by the cherry trees. The weather is supposed to be nice today."

I looked up when I 'heard' my name and listened to Yumi's request. "It's all right with me," I told them, "Touko-chan and Noriko agreed to keep me company for lunch today in the Rose Mansion right?"

The two first years froze as they were washing the cups and turned to look at us. Touko-chan regained her senses first, "Of course, yes, we did agree to keep her, you, company Rosa Gigantea." Noriko nodded her head agreeing with the other girl.

With that, the two first years bid a hasty retreat to head to class, probably to get out of any awkward situations that would arise should I say anything more to them. I looked back at the remaining two in the room who looked at the door in confusion at the abrupt exit of the younger girls. Giving my typical watery smile, I started packing my bag. "Should we head to class?" I asked the two of them.

Yoshino-san packed up and headed out, but Yumi hung back from going with her. From the look on her face, I guessed that she was lost in thought and didn't notice that Yoshino-san had gone on ahead. "Are you all right?" I asked her, placing my hand on her arm.

"Huh?" Yumi murmured, snapping out of her daze, "Yes, I'm fine, just thinking about some things."

I was about to ask her another question, when Yoshino-san roughly opened the door again. "Let's go Yumi-san," she said, dragging my love out of her seat and through the door. I heard Yumi 'eehing' and 'aahing' down the stairs and out of the Rose Mansion. Chuckling at the sound, I started to realize why my Onee-sama loved sneaking up on Yumi and getting her to make those sounds and the faces that go with them. I made my way to class; mentally getting ready for the day and thinking of all the different things I would do to my petite soeur and her friend…

* * *

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Yoshino asked Yumi when they sat down for lunch.

"Wh-what do you mean Yoshino-san? I just wanted to talk to you, haven't talked to you in a while," Yumi stammered, looking nervously down at her food.

Yoshino snorted, "Please, I maybe be a hothead and fly off the handle a lot, but I'm not stupid, you asked me to eat lunch with you here, away from everyone, for a reason, now spill."

Yumi stared at Yoshino for a minute, before sighing and looking out at the trees. "I'm not sure whether to be glad or terrified that you're that perceptive," she muttered, "look you've been pestering me about what has been going on the last couple weeks and I wanted to tell you."

The other girl gave Yumi a look to encourage her to keep talking. Yumi took a deep breath and started her story. "Okay, so a few weeks ago, right after the first year welcoming ceremony, Sachiko-sama started acting way mean to me, blowing off dates and ignoring me, so bad that I stopped coming to the Rose Mansion right?"

"Yeah I remember that, what does it have to do with Shimako-san?"

"I'm getting to that, anyway, one day I was getting ready to leave, when I ran into Sachiko-sama and Touko-chan heading out as well. I wanted to talk to Sachiko-sama, but she just brushed me off and went to the car that was waiting for her. I was so hurt at her behavior, that I just collapsed on the ground in the rain crying, and Sachiko-sama just left me there."

"That bitch!" Yoshino-san cried, ready to head off and attack the red rose.

"Yoshino-san," Yumi admonished before continuing with her story, "I didn't find out until later that Touko-chan wanted to stop and help me but didn't know what she could do. I felt a pair of arms come around me and when I looked up, it was Shimako-san. Sei-sama and a friend of her's, Kei-sama, were there as well and they helped me back to Kei-sama's house. Shimako-san was as soaked as I was but she didn't let go of me the whole way to the house."

"Mhm," Yoshino murmured, having a feeling where this was going. She had suspected for a few months, but didn't have any proof.

"Once we got there, Shimako and I cleaned ourselves up as best as we could, talking showers and drying our hair to keep from getting sick. At one point Sei-sama and Kei-sama left us alone for a few moments because Sei-sama said that Shimako-san had something she wanted to tell me."

"And what did she say?" Yoshino said, leaning towards Yumi a little bit.

"She," Yumi has had trouble saying this, and she didn't know why, "She said that she loved me, that she was in love with me and that she wanted to prove to me that she was better than Sachiko-sama." Yumi expected to hear Yoshino give a surprised gasp, but when she didn't, she looked over at Yoshino. She saw a look of confirmation in her eyes and asked, "You knew?"

Yoshino shook her head, "I didn't _KNOW,_ but I suspected, I just didn't have any proof. Shimako-san is a very private person and if she doesn't want you to know something, she has a way of hiding things."

Yumi thought for a moment before realizing it was true, but then she felt guilty because of it. "She's loved me for so long, and I didn't know," she said mournfully, "She watched me love someone else, and never said a word."

"That's what people in love do Yumi-san, they put aside there own happiness for the other person, my mother would always tell me stories like that when I was sick; she would tell me that that is how you know that the love is true," Yoshino said, placing her hand over Yumi's in a gesture of comfort. "Now that can't be the whole story, that was what, a few weeks ago? What has happened since?"

The chestnut haired girl blushed, which let Yoshino know that that was _really_ what Yumi wanted to discuss. "Um, well, we've had lunch together pretty much everyday for the last two weeks, and this last Saturday…"

"Come on, you can do it," Yoshino coaxed.

"Well, we went out on a date, just as friends mind you, so really it wasn't a date, we were just hanging out."

_Me thinks she doth protest too much, _Yoshino thought, but continued to listen to her befuddled friend. "There has to be more to it than that," she urged.

Yumi rubbed the back of her neck and took another deep breath, "Um…. I think… IthinkImighthavefeelingsforh er."

Yoshino blinked at her, "What?"

The other girl just sighed, "I think I might have feelings for her, and I don't know how."

"Okay…" Yoshino started, "Let's start at the beginning of that, why do you think you have feelings for her?"

"Shimako-san is one of my best friends, so I already cared about her, but then after she confessed to me and these last couple of weeks have been… I don't really know what to say about them, but she listens to me, when other people don't; she pays attention to me, and she tries to understand the things I like. I mean, we went to an arcade on Saturday, even though she doesn't like video games that much, but we went because I told her I liked to go to arcades," Yumi rushed out, completely in one breath.

"And?"

"Well, no one has ever done things like that for me, not even Sachiko-sama."

Yoshino nodded, "Alright, so why are you having trouble not knowing how you have feelings for her?"

"When I saw Shimako-san this morning, I got butterflies in my stomach that I only used to get when I saw Sachiko-sama, I mean, I love Sachiko-sama… don't I?" Yumi was completely confused; she didn't know what she was feeling.

The normally brash and hotheaded Yoshino realized that she would have to be the calm and level headed one in the situation, and help Yumi figure this out. "Yumi-san… Yumi-san… YUMI!" Yoshino yelled, shaking the slightly hysterical girl, "You need to calm down, freaking out over this isn't going to help."

Yumi nodded and sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She could still feel her heart pounding heavily in her chest as it worked its way down from her throat where it had lodged itself. The pigtailed girl motioned when it was okay for Yoshino to continue.

"I know you think you love Sachiko-sama, but maybe these feelings you have developing for Shimako-san mean that you're falling in love with her," Yumi mad to protest, but Yoshino shushed her with a glare before continuing, "She's been treating you better than Sachiko-sama these last few weeks, and from the sound of it, you're getting a chance at something with Shimako-san that you didn't get with Sachiko-sama, the chance for feelings to develop over time; the chance to really fall in love."

"Maybe…" Yumi murmured, still slightly confused over the whole thing.

Yoshino could tell that her friend was still confused, and wanted to do something to ease her mind. Plus, she didn't like the way that Sachiko had been treating Yumi, even if she hadn't been paying that close of attention during the problem. In her mind, Shimako was the better person for Yumi in the long run, but Yumi had to be the one to decide that, you can't force someone to feel the way you wanted them to. "Look, maybe you should give Shimako-san a chance, I know that you told her you would, but from what you've told me, you haven't, not really," Yoshino said gently, trying not to offend the other girl.

Yumi started to protest again, sputtering against the accusation.

"Listen to what you just told me," Yoshino implored as gently as she could, "she's been listening to _you_ talk. She did what _you_ would have wanted to do. She's been fulfilling her end of the agreement, maybe it's time you fulfill yours."

The other girl listened, actually listened to what her friend was saying, and heard her. "So what do I do?" Yumi whispered.

"Give her a chance, a real chance this time, stop letting what you think you feel for Sachiko-sama and see if there might be a chance that you can really fall in love with someone," Yoshino murmured, hugging her friend, "I love both you and Shimako-san, I don't want to see either of you hurt, and from the way you were going, both of you would be hurt in the end."

"Thank you Yoshino-san," Yumi replied, hugging her friend back, "I'll try."

* * *

I walked into the meeting room in the Rose Mansion, and placed my lunch down on the table. The two first years were already there, seated on the other side of the table next to each other looking like children waiting for a rebuke from their parents. I sat down elegantly and calmly, looking like the epitome of Rosa Gigantea that I portray to the student populace on any given day. Though, usually I don't mean to appear that way, but I'm forcing it right now, to make the two younger students sweat a little.

Opening my lunch box, I took a bite before looking up at the two of them. I studied them as they quietly ate their lunches. They jumped, startled, when I spoke, "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"

"Um, we're really sorry Onee-sama," Noriko started.

"Yes Rosa Gigantea, we didn't want to interrupt your date, we didn't mean to be seen, er… be there…" Touko-chan stuttered out, wincing at her slip.

"_I thought you were better at this than that," Noriko hissed, "What's with the slip, we weren't going to tell her we were following her."_

_"Your Onee-sama makes me nervous," Touko-chan hissed back, "I can never tell what she's thinking."_

"Alright, break it up," I yelled at them as they whispered at each other, "I already know that you were following us, now I want to know why."

They glanced up at me and had a silent conversation as to who was going to answer my question. "We were concerned about you Onee-sama," Noriko said, the elected speaker, "We didn't really mean to interrupt your date, but we just wanted to make sure that things would go okay."

"So you were what, unofficial chaperones?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around the absurdity of the conversation.

"Kind of?" Touko-chan murmured, "We just really want the two of you to get together. I mean, Noriko wants you to be happy, and I mean, I want…"

"You want Yumi to be happy…" I sighed quietly, sitting back in my chair, "Look I appreciate what you guys were trying to do, but I don't need a babysitter."

"We know that now and we really are sorry," Noriko murmured sadly.

"How can we make it up to you?" Touko-chan asked.

I sighed, that was the one thing I was having trouble with. "I don't know," I told them, "I will have to think on it for a few days." We finished lunch semi-quietly, making small talk and such. A vast change from my lunches spent with Yumi. Just as the two first years were getting ready to leave, I stopped them. "While I'm upset that you decided to take it upon yourselves to follow us," I said, "I know you did it with the best intentions, so thank you for that, and thank you for all that you are doing to help me with Yumi, I really appreciate it."

Noriko grabbed one of my hands between hers, and smiled at me. Touko-chan smirked, "It's no problem Shimako-sama, we're happy to help."

* * *

"How was your lunch with Yoshino-san?" I asked Yumi that afternoon after the student council meeting. We were walking slowly towards the bus stop. Well, I was walking slowly to spend more time with her, which forced her to slow down a little.

Yumi smiled, "Enlightening." I looked confused at her answer, but she just shook her head and grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers together. "Later," she murmured.

I don't know what they two of them talked about, but since they talked, Yumi has been slightly more affectionate with me and Yoshino-san has been sending me calculating looks. The looks from Yoshino-san were slightly frightening, making me feel like someone was walking over my grave, but if I got a more attentive Yumi out of it, then so be it.

"Oh by the way, there was something I wanted to ask you," I suddenly remembered, turning my head towards my companion.

"What's that?"

"What do you think of Touko-chan?"

"Touko-chan," Yumi repeated, stopping for a moment. Our interlaced also caused me to stop. Luckily by the time we decided to leave, most everyone else had long since gone home, so no one was around to see our interactions. "What about her?"

I shrugged, "Nothing, I was just wondering what you thought about her. I know that you two have been spending a bit more time together, not a whole lot, but more than you had been."

"I like her, she's interesting," Yumi said, "And is there anything wrong with spending time with her?"

"No of course not," I said hastily, "It's just that, you know she wants to be your petite soeur right?"

Yumi sighed, "Yes I know, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I don't think either of us are."

"How do you know, I mean, how do you really know?" I asked her, truly curious as to her thought process.

Yumi looked shocked at my question, then became pensive. "I do-don't know," she stuttered, "It's like, there's something we have to do first, something we have to say to each other first before that step can be taken. It's like a piece is missing before it all comes together."

I nodded, accepting her answer and we continued on towards the bus stop. "What brought up the question about Touko-chan anyway?" Yumi asked once we reached our destination.

"Just thinking about Touko-chan and Noriko, they're really good friends don't you think? Noriko is dear to me and I think she would be extremely happy if her friend was on the student counsel on a more permanent basis," I said. It was technically the truth, but I was just fishing for information really. I was truly grateful for what the two of them were trying to do for me, and figured getting Yumi to really think about taking Touko-chan as her petite soeur would be the way to do it. Of course, I wouldn't tell either of them about this conversation.

"Yes they both would be happy with that wouldn't they," Yumi murmured, staring blankly out into the road.

"Hey," I said, reaching out to touch her shoulder, "Maybe you should just listen to Touko-chan when she has something to say, maybe she'll tell you that final hurtle you'll need to bridge that gap between the two of you."

Yumi looked at me with a surprised and shocked look, "You know, you're not the first person today to tell me I need to listen more."

"You don't just listen with your ears," I told her, smiling, "You listen by hearing what someone isn't saying, as well as what they are saying."

I saw a brief flicker of confusion cross her face, before it looked like she understood what I was telling her. The bus pulled up and we boarded, finding a seat quickly since there weren't that many passengers. "Maybe I do need to listen more," I heard Yumi murmur as she stared out the window.

I don't know why, but I felt something warm settle in my chest when I heard those words. It felt like something was going to happen, that those words were going to cause a change. Whatever that change was, I could only hope it would be a good thing.**  
**

* * *

**A/N: Review s'il vous plait**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Let's not comment on the hellish two weeks I've had, or the completely horrible chapter I present you with today. I'm not at all happy with it, but it had to be done in order so that I can move on to the rest of the story. You know, angsty couple stuff, but also the stuff that happens in the seasons and books, but with a ShimakoxYumi spin to them. And of course, Noriko and Touko getting together at some point later on down the road. So I sucked it up and wrote this terribly stupid chapter for you people**

**Chapter summary: We get to the part that you people have been waiting for, we delve into the mind of a killer... er, Sachiko. We get to see Sachiko's motives and what she is thinking, she's kinda a jerk, just to let ya know. Witchgar's version of Sachiko in WG's current story really inspired this, I had it in mind, but decided to step it up a bit, exaggeration is always fun. Next we have more Noriko and Touko action, and then finally... Just wait and see.**

**Ignore mistakes and just be glad I updated**

**REVIEW! that is very important, don't forget to do dat, REVIEW!**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 4**

"I'm glad your feeling better grandmother," Sachiko said into the phone. She paused for a minute, listening to the person on the other side of the phone, "Yes, I know it was just a little cold, but that doesn't mean I wasn't worried… Yes yes, goodnight grandmother."

Sachiko sighed as she hung up the phone, setting the receiver down. Her grandmother had been sick this last week due to a cold, so she was out of sorts this whole week worrying about her.

The raven-haired heiress got dressed and ready for bed. As she walked towards her bed, she passed her desk, stopping briefly to look at the only picture present on the tabletop. The picture was of her and her petite soeur the first time they met. She smiled fondly and ran her finger over the image of the pigtailed girl before she realized what she was doing and ripped her finger away from the glass. Sachiko hissed in fury at the picture, grabbing it furiously with both of her hands. "This is all your fault," she whispered at the other girl in the photo, "You're making me feel this way about you, disrupting my carefully planned out life."

She had her life carefully planned out from an early age. Well, that's a lie, her parents had her life planned out, Sachiko just started rethinking that plan these last few years. Her parents' plan for her was very simple, she would marry her cousin Suguru once she finished school, either high school or college, most likely college, and together they would take over her grandfather's business empire and increase the family fortunes.

On the surface, the plan was a good one; only, it wasn't what Sachiko had in mind for her life. Years of having tutors and then doing work for the student council as left her disillusioned to a life of work; she wants to be able to live the rest of her life as a rich heiress, spending her time on frivolous things that pass her fancy, going to parties, interacting with other people that would kiss-up to her, hoping to one day be on her level, not wasting day after day in an office managing a company. She knew Suguru would have no problem running the company and wouldn't need her help to do it.

The pigtailed brunette in the picture she was clutching threw a wrench in Sachiko's carefully laid plans for a life of ease. The feelings the younger girl invoked in the older girl startled and alarmed her. Sachiko knew she wanted Yumi, she had acknowledged that, but it didn't keep her from being slightly resentful of the younger girl for disrupting her plans.

Sachiko continued to seethe silently, slamming the picture face down on the desk. She crawled into her king sized canopy bed and unleashed her fury on her unsuspecting pillows. Breathing heavily as her rage subsided, Sachiko fell back on her beds, her pillows scattered on the floor.

Staring up at her canopy, something clicked in Sachiko's brain. Sitting bolt upright in bed, she murmured, "This doesn't mean that something has to change."

The pieces, as twisted as they were, started clicking together in Sachiko's mind, causing the plan to further cement in her mind. Suguru was gay, completely and totally gay, as he had told her at the party for her going to high school. She knew she wouldn't get any pleasure from Suguru while they were married, except for when they had to conceive an heir for the company of course, which wasn't something she was particularly fond of to begin with. Sachiko needed a lover, a side dish, since Suguru was going to be taking a male lover, or lovers, in order to make the most of her lavish lifestyle she envisioned. "This is perfect," Sachiko grinned gleefully, "Yumi can be my lover in this ridiculous marriage, that way I can continue with my plan but have an extra addition to please me while Suguru is doing every gay man that ever went to Hanadera. Maybe I can even talk Yumi into carrying the child."

Sachiko reached over to her desk and picked the picture of the two of them up again. She looked fondly down at the other girl in the picture. "Oh Yumi," she murmured, "You could be my saving grace this time." The pieces fit together so wonderfully that Sachiko happy collected all her pillows off the floor and sighed as she snuggled back down under the covers.

Her good mood was interrupted by another thought, which had her screaming in frustration into pillow, completely unladylike. Sachiko just remembered how she had been treating Yumi these past few weeks. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," Sachiko yelled, seducing the younger girl was going to be much harder now, but she was in no rush, it wasn't like anyone else was going to be vying for the younger girl's affections. She could rebuild their relationship and maybe once she graduate high school, Yumi would miss her enough that she would do anything to be with her. Sachiko would watch the other girl for now, figure out how much damage she caused as well as whether everything would work out in her favor.

Sachiko snickered quietly to herself as she drifted off to slumber land, oh yes, what could possibly go wrong with her plan?

* * *

"Did you see the looks Sachiko-sama was giving Yumi-sama today during the meeting?" Noriko asked Touko after the student council meeting the next day, "It seemed like she was considering something."

"I know," Touko groaned, "I recognize that look; it means she's considering the pros and cons to find the best possible path for her to take, where she comes out the winner."

"What?"

"You know what she's like, she's incredibly selfish, always has been. She doesn't really mean to be I don't think, it's just part of her nature. She's basically trying to figure out the best way to… have her cake and eat it too I guess," Touko shrugged, "I don't know what she's thinking about doing, but we have to get Shimako-sama and Yumi-sama together before she decides on something."

"What can we do that we haven't already done?"

Touko sighed, "I have no idea. I love my cousin but I also love Yumi-sama, and I can't stand the thought of Sachiko-sama hurting her."

"Touko, Touko calm down!" Noriko said forcefully as her friend started pacing, "We'll figure something out, but we aren't any good to either Onee-sama or Yumi-sama if we can't keep our heads on straight.

The drill-haired girl took a few deep breaths, calming herself down. "Alright, now let's think about this calmly and rationally," she said slowly, "first step is to identify the problem."

Noriko snorted, "That's easy, the problem is Yumi-sama is caught in a weird love triangle with your cousin and my Onee-sama."

Touko looked at her strangely, "When you say it like that, it sounds like we're discussing a soap opera.

"What? It's true."

"That's beside the point: the problem is that Yumi-sama is being pursued by the white rose, while the red rose might get her act together and start pursuing her too. Yumi-sama might still love Sachiko-sama, and that, my friend, is the core problem."

Noriko nodded, "Alright, so what's step two? Keep Sachiko-sama away from Yumi-sama?"

"No," Touko replied, "that would be too obvious, it would be clear to her that something was up, no we have to do something more subtle… Maybe getting Shimako-sama and Yumi-sama together more outside of school."

"What? Do you mean in a more romantic type setting?" Noriko asked.

Touko shrugged, "I don't know maybe, though that would be too suspicious."

"Maybe we should give them more credit, give Yumi-sama more credit at least. Shimako-sama is her best friend, she would never do anything to hurt her, and while Sachiko-sama has been staring calculatingly at Yumi-sama these past few days, Yumi-sama has been staring at Shimako-sama."

Touko's head shot straight up, "Really? How did I not see that?"

"Maybe you were too busy worrying about Sachiko-sama to notice, but I can tell you one thing, some of the looks she was giving Shimako-sama weren't exactly friendly if ya know what I mean. She looked as if she wanted to eat Onee-sama alive."

Placing her hands over her ears, Touko shook her head, "Don't say things like that Noriko, it'll traumatize Touko's poor little brain."

"I'll tell you the same thing you tell me," Noriko said, "Grow up. Anyway, it's good news right? It means that at least part of Yumi-sama is attracted to Shimako-sama."

"What were the other looks? Could you tell?"

Noriko thought for a moment, "It looked like, well, like she was thinking about something and she got caught up in staring at Shimako-sama. When she would catch herself, she would turn away and blush, but would then go back to thinking. A few times she appeared almost guilty when she looked at Onee-sama."

"Guilty?"

"You know, like she felt bad about something."

"Yes yes, I know what guilty means Noriko, but what does she have to feel guilty about?"

Noriko shrugged, "I have no idea, but you know what? She was staring guilty at you too."

Touko perked up a little again, "What, why?"

"If I knew, don't you think I would tell you?"

"Ugh," Touko yelled, throwing her hands up in the air, "This is getting us no where with the problem."

Noriko nodded her head. "Why don't we just wait and see," Noriko said, "and maybe create distractions to keep Sachiko-sama busy and away from them."

Touko gave Noriko an appraising look. "You're learning about this scheming thing, Noriko, definitely learning."

* * *

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked Yumi. Before the meeting earlier today, Yumi had asked me if she could talk to me later this afternoon, out by the cherry trees.

Yumi gave me a small, hesitant smile, "Yes, I wanted to ask you something, or really tell you something I guess."

I looked at Yumi and noticed that she was shaking like a leaf. Reaching out, I grasped one of her hands in mine. "Yumi," I said softly, "What's wrong?"

She looked back up at me and squeezed my hand. "Someone recently told me that I hadn't been listening very well," she started slowly, "and that same person told me that I hadn't been giving you much of a chance."

I started to protest but was silenced when she shook her head. Yumi seemed to be having a hard time searching for words, so I decided to wait for her to collect her thoughts.

"I realized that it was true, I haven't been giving you a chance," she murmured, looking back down at our joined hands. "I guess, somewhere in my mind, I was still pining after Sachiko-sama, despite knowing how selfish she is."

"Yumi it's alright," I try to tell her, but she just shook her head again.

"No, it's not alright, I mean, you've been so…" Yumi paused for a moment, a few tears squeaking out of her eyes, "I don't even know how to say it, but you've been so incredibly attentive to me and I haven't been doing the same for you and I feel horrible about it."

I knew protesting again would be useless, so I just nodded, wiping at her tears with my free hand. "So what do we do about this?" I asked her, squeezing her hand again, my other hand still on her face.

Yumi smiled at me, "I want to give us a chance, a real chance."

The breath caught in my throat as I stared at her in disbelief. "Wh- What?" I sputtered. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I acknowledged that the usually angelic Rosa Gigantea wouldn't sputter, but, when faced with something I've been dreaming of, I think sputtering was called for.

"I want to go out on a date with you Shimako," Yumi replied, looking straight into my eyes, my heart pounding in my throat at the sound of just my name coming out of her mouth. "A real date," she clarified, "not one just as friends, but as something more than friends."

"Do you really mean it?" I whispered, trying to figure out if I was dreaming or not.

Yumi nodded, "Yes, I mean it. I have feelings for you, I know that, I'm not sure if they'll grow into love or not, but it would be a shame if I didn't give it a chance."

I smiled in happiness, tears shamelessly running down my face by this point. "Thank you for this, you have no idea," I choked on my own words, "h-how much this means to me."

She copied my earlier movement and wiped the tears away from my face. "I think I do," she murmured, "I think I do.

* * *

**A/N: Review s'il vous plait**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I originally had this done last week, but I had ended it earlier, so I felt bad about giving you guys a short chapter last time, so I added the date and stuff this week. It took a while cuz I was hopefully putting in more romance and so I had to think very carefully about their actions and stuff. You might be confused about Sachiko's behavior in this chapter, since it's so different from the last chapter, but last chapter was a glimpse into her mind, her behavior now is how she outwardly appears and the surface emotions to go with them. No more delving into her mind, til maybe towards the end.**

Another thing, several things won't be in this story: no homophobic reactions from non-main characters, so no random people lecturing them. Also, not doing the whole, coming out to parents conversation, that would take it to far away from the storyline and is also unnecessary. I also won't be rewriting scenes that I think are fine the way they happen and will fit in well with the story, like Touko and Yumi's trip to her grandfather's hospital before becoming soeurs, I'm not going to rewrite that, probably just mention it when it happens.

**And I have a good news, bad news, good news type situation for you. Good news, I got into graduate school! Bad news, when I start graduate school, I will likely disappear from ffnet again since I'll be busy. Other good news, I'm going to try to write as much as possible in my free time right now to make it up to you. Saying that, one of my reviewers requested a Twilight story, BellaxTanya or BellaxSulpicia, or an Once Upon a Time fic, Red Swan. I have crafted a plotline for OUaT that is rather exciting, that has been distracting me, I'm still wary of Twilight, though I am still considering it.**

**Chapter summary: Conversations, dating and blisters... Oh my!**

**REVIEW! that is very important, don't forget to do dat, REVIEW!**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 6**

"Do you have any idea where you are going to take Shimako-sama on your date?" Touko asked Yumi a few days later. After Yumi had told Shimako that she thought they should officially date each other, she asked her to go out on a date with her, one that the pigtailed girl would plan.

"I have an idea, but I'm not going to tell you," Yumi replied, sipping at her tea. They were the only ones in the Rose Mansion currently; everyone else was busy with prior commitments or other activities.

"What? Why not?"

Yumi gave Touko a knowing look, "I may be slightly oblivious, but not completely. I know that you and Noriko-chan followed us to the arcade, that's why Shimako looked so irritated when she saw you."

Touko started to protest, but gave up when Yumi continued to stare at her, one eyebrow quirked up as if daring her to contradict what the older girl just said. Touko just sighed, "Oh alright, yes we followed you, but only to make sure the date went well and stuff. We really want the two of you to be together and to be happy."

"You would go against your own cousin for me, why?"

"Because I care about you and admire you, you deserve to be happy and I believe that Shimako-sama can make you happier than Sachiko-sama can. All Sachiko-sama seems to think about is herself, and I don't want that for you," Touko muttered, wary of people that could show up at any time, "I love you."

Yumi reached out to hug the younger girl to her, knowing that even though she may seem mature at times, she's still just a first year high school student. "Touko-chan," Yumi murmured into the girl's hair, "You don't have to be worried about me, I can make my own decisions, and right now, I decided to be with Shimako."

"I know," Touko replied, slowly and reluctantly extracting herself from the other girl's embrace, "I just, well, Noriko and I just want to make sure that you two stay together and are happy."

"If Shimako and I stay together, that's up to us," Yumi returned, ending the conversation. "Now, onto something else, we've grown close over these last few weeks haven't we?"

Touko blushed and nodded, "Yes we have."

"And do you still want to be my petite soeur?" The blush on Touko's face deepened as she nodded. "I thought so," Yumi said, "I want you to be my petite soeur as well, but I don't think we're ready for that yet."

"Why not?" Touko asked, slightly angry and confused.

"I feel like there's something else we have to do first, something we have to cover or go over before we take that step." Yumi saw Touko's eyes dart up in surprise, before looking back down at the table, "Do you know what it is?"

Touko nodded, "I think I do, but I'm not ready yet, not here, in a few weeks?"

"Just let me know when you're ready Touko-chan," Yumi replied, placing her hand on top of Touko's hands that were resting on top of the table.

* * *

Noriko and I walked into the Rose Mansion to see Yumi comforting a slightly distressed Touko-chan. I looked curiously at Yumi but she just shook her head at me, signaling me to leave it alone for now. When Touko-chan realized we had walked into the room, she hastily stood up and began helping Noriko prepare a fresh pot of tea for the everyone as the others were no doubt just a little ways behind us.

I took Touko-chan's recently vacated seat across from the pigtailed brunette. "Is everything okay?" I whispered to her.

She just gave me a smile as an answer as she reached over to squeeze my hand.

I smiled at the motion, before another thought crossed my mind that I had nearly forgotten about. "Touko-chan, Noriko," I called, addressing the other two in the room, "Can you meet with me a few minutes after the meeting is over, I have something I want to discuss with the two of you."

They nodded, both with slightly wary expressions on their faces as to what I would want to talk with them about. I merely gave them my classic serene smile, before turning my gaze back to something far more pleasant for me to truly gaze upon, a large pair of unassuming, chocolate brown eyes. Just as I was about to lose myself in Yumi's eyes, we heard the squeaking on the stairs, signaling that people were about to come into the room. Reluctantly, I broke eye contact with Yumi and released her hand to pick up the tea that Noriko must have set next to me while I was focusing on… other things.

Yoshino-san and Rei-sama came in shortly after, followed lastly by Sachiko-sama. I watched her as she eyed Yumi for a minute, before sitting down next to her.

She murmured something to Yumi that I couldn't catch, but I saw Yumi's eyes widen and she nodded her head in response. The meeting began as we started discussing the various events that took place during the second term, reviewing tentative schedules for clubs that have begun making arrangements for what they would do during the school festival.

The meeting ended shortly after, and while everyone was straightening up their things, Yumi caught my eye and motioned me over. Mindful of the people around us, I walked over towards the sink pretending to wash my cup out. Yumi joined me shortly. "Onee-sama asked me if I would stay after a little while so that she could talk to me," Yumi whispered, "I'm not sure how long it'll take."

I nodded, "Alright, meet me by the cherry trees, I have to talk to Noriko and Touko-chan, so I should still be there when you get done."

Yumi nodded and went back to her seat next to Sachiko-sama, pouring her Onee-sama some more tea. I finished packing up my stuff and glanced at both Noriko and Touko-chan. "Well, Noriko and I are going to be going, good day," I stated, picking up my book bag, Noriko following suit.

"Yes, I'm going to leave as well," Touko added hastily, gathering up her things as well. The two first years followed me out of the door, and we made our way towards my precious cherry trees.

"So," I started when we reached a secluded enough spot, "Were you two serious about making it up to me when you totally crashed my date with Yumi?"

Both Touko-chan and Noriko nodded. "Of course, anything Onee-sama," Noriko replied.

I smiled sweetly at them. "Well then," I said, "You won't mind helping me out this Sunday then do you?"

I saw the two of them give each other warily glances. "Sure Shimako-sama, we'll help you out," Touko said hesitantly.

My smile turned into a grin, "Well good. Yumi asked me out on a date Sunday afternoon. I asked my father if I could go, but he said I could if I found someone to cover my chores at the temple. Naturally, I thought of you two, so willing to help me out and such."

The two of them gulped and reluctantly agreed. "What exactly would we have to do?" Noriko asked.

"My father will tell you when you get there. Noriko do you remember the way?" Noriko nodded, "Good, you and Touko-chan can travel together, I really am grateful for this you two."

They both gave me a small smile. "We know Shimako-sama," Touko-chan said, "That's why we're helping you." They left soon after and I stood, waiting for my beloved Yumi.

I lost myself in thoughts of Yumi, time become an abstract concept. I jumped when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. Whirling around, my eyes met the amused gaze of the subject of my thoughts. "You scared me," I said, placing my hand to my chest.

"I'm sorry," she giggled, "But if I had spoken, it would have ended up with the same results."

"Well, that's true," I agreed, giggling a little myself. "What did Sachiko-sama want?" I asked her when I finally calmed down.

Yumi's eyes unfocused for a second as she thought of an answer, "It was very strange. She wanted to apologize for how she had been treating me…"

_Flashback_

_"Thank you for staying late Yumi," Sachiko said as Yoshino and Rei left the room. Her tone was quiet and affectionate, like how she used to talk to her petite soeur before this whole mess started._

_"Of course Onee-sama, you made a request after all," Yumi replied, slightly shocked that Sachiko was using such an affectionate voice with her._

_"Yes, well, I wanted to talk to you," Sachiko paused for a minute, "Well, actually, I wanted to apologize for how I've been treating you. I haven't been a very good Onee-sama to you, and honestly I'm surprised that you haven't given the rosary back to me."_

_Yumi looked down for a moment, before meeting her Onee-sama's gaze. "I thought about it," she said slowly, "For awhile I really thought about it, but I couldn't go through with it."_

_"I'm glad that you told me," Sachiko whispered, tearing up slightly at the thought that she had hurt her petite soeur bad enough that she would be willing to break their bond. It was one thing to think that she might, but another to actually hear it confirmed._

_"May I ask why you were behaving in such a way?"_

_Sachiko looked back into Yumi's brown eyes, "I have no excuse that would be acceptable. My grandmother hasn't been feeling well and I've been worried about her. When I'm worried I tend to freeze people out, I'm so sorry for treating you in such a horrible manner and I would do anything to make it up to you."_

_"It's alright Onee-sama, just don't do it again, and next time you're worried, talk to me please," Yumi sighed._

_"I will Yumi, I promise."_

_"Does your grandmother feel better?"_

_Sachiko nodded, "Yes, it was a just a case of pneumonia, but after you reach a certain age, even a cold is serious."_

_"Well, I'm glad that your grandmother is feeling better."_

_They sat for another minute or two in silence. "I'm going to go home," Sachiko said, standing up, "Are you coming?"_

_Yumi got up to wash out Sachiko's cup before turning back to her Onee-sama. "No," she said, "I think I left a book in my desk that I have to go back for, you go ahead without me."_

_"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Yumi," Sachiko said as she walked out of the door._

_"Good day Onee-sama," Yumi murmured._

_End Flashback_

"It was just a weird conversation all around," Yumi finished, looking back at Shimako.

"What do you mean weird?"

Yumi shrugged, "I'm not sure, it was like she wasn't telling me the whole truth when she told me the reason why she was behaving poorly was because her grandmother was sick."

"Do you think there's another reason?"

"Probably," Yumi sighed, "I'm just gonna let it go for now, let our relationship repair itself, but it's not going to be the way it used to be."

"Why not?" I was slightly confused, I thought she wanted things to be the way they were.

"I don't worship the ground she walks on anymore, I can't do that, and besides," she added with a mischievous grin, "I think I've found someone I might care about more than Sachiko-sama."

I smiled and hugged her, truly grateful for her words. "When and where are we meeting on Sunday?" I asked her when I finally let her go.

"One o'clock at the train station?" Yumi suggested.

"That's perfect," I replied, "Can you at least give me a hint as to where we're going?" I begged.

"Just wear something casual," was all Yumi said, a mysterious smile creeping onto her face.

"Aaggh, this is payback for when I wouldn't tell you about the arcade isn't it?" I pouted.

"Maybe…" Yumi stretched out, still grinning at me.

I pouted at her, and nudged her with my elbow. We giggled our way towards the bus stop, nudging each other occasionally along the way. I loved this closeness to Yumi that this relationship brought, and I was going to fight to keep it.

* * *

I got off at the train station where I was to meet Yumi and I spotted her by the turnstiles. I paused for a minute to take her in before she spotted me. She was wearing a jean miniskirt with knee-high stockings, and long sleeve t-shirt. The smooth expanse of skin that was displayed between her skirt and stockings made my mother go dry in an instant. I swallowed, trying to restore feeling in my tongue and mouth before walking over towards her.

"Good day Yumi," I said greeting her, "You look beautiful today."

She turned towards me and I saw her eyes rake over me, and I smiled when I saw her swallow slowly. After our last adventure to the arcade, I decided I needed more jeans and easy to move in casual clothes, so I purchased a few pairs of dark wash skinny jeans, one pair of which I was wearing. I paired it with a layered t-shirt as it was still a bit chilly out. Judging by Yumi's reaction to what I was wearing, she approved.

"Good day to you too Shimako," Yumi replied, "You look beautiful as well, shall we go?" She motioned towards another train line and I noticed for the first time that she had a bag in her hand.

"So will you tell me now where we're going?" I asked her, still trying to figure out where we were headed for our first 'real' date.

Yumi rolled her eyes at me, "You'll find out when we get there, just be patient."

"Hmmm," I hummed, waiting for Yumi to give something away. I reached over and grabbed her free hand with my own, threading our fingers together. The other girl shot me a smile and we sat there, holding hands.

The next stop, the pigtailed brunette pulled me off the train and onto another one, picking a different line. I could tell we were heading out of Tokyo, but I wasn't sure how far we would be going. We got off the train the next to last stop on that line. "C'mon," Yumi said, pulling me outside, "It's not far from here, we can walk."

Walking a few blocks, we came to what looked like a glass building and a large park. "A botanical gardens?" I wondered, looking a little shocked.

Yumi looked at me sheepishly, "In all that time that we were talking, you never said what you liked, so I had to infer a bit from the things you liked to do. I figured you liked plants and gardening and I heard that the flowers here are just starting to bloom so I figured we could have a picnic, is that alright?"

I gaped at her, completely stunned. I leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. "It's perfect," I murmured to her smiling when I felt her cheek heat up, "Let's go find a good spot."

We sat down underneath a large tree, which provided the perfect shady spot for a picnic because with the sun shining it was getting quite warm. Yumi pulled a small blanket out of her bag and spread it out, pulling me down to sit on it.

"I can see you planned this," I said as she pulled out a large lunch box full of food.

Opening the lid, Yumi revealed rice balls, fried chicken, sushi and octopus wieners, she smiled a me sheepishly, "My mom helped out a little, I'm still learning how to make some of these things, and when I told her I needed the food for a date, well, she was so excited."

"Did you tell her it was with me?" I asked, truly wanting to know what she said.

Yumi nodded, "Yes, at first she was a little surprised, but at the same time she wasn't I guess."

"My parents said the same thing," I said, reaching for a rice ball, "I had to tell my father in order to get out of chores today."

"How did you manage that?"

"I found some people to do them for me."

I could tell Yumi's curiosity was peeked, "Who?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later, let's just enjoy our date," I replied, grasping her left hand with my right.

We ate our lunch, conversation flowing with ease between us. Once we finished, Yumi folded the blanket back up and placed it in her bag and we walked around the gardens, looking at the different flowering plants. I pointed out many of my favorite plants, mostly the bulb plants like lilies, daffodils and tulips. I was rather surprised thought when Yumi told me that Tiger Lilies were her favorite type of flower.

"I thought your favorite flowers were roses," I said to her.

Yumi shrugged, "I like roses, they're beautiful and smell nice an when someone thinks of flower, they usually think of a rose. But I'm starting to like unusual things better than the norm, like the tiger lily and the bird of paradise." She pointed towards the exotic, unusual plant that was growing a few feet away. I took in its appearance, the brilliant orange blossom with one blue leaf, looking very much like a bird in flight, and the strong leaf stalks that create the plant. It certainly was an unusual plant, but the same could be said of our relationship; it was unusual, and just beginning, but hopefully, with time, it would grow into something beautiful.

"You know what," I said, pulling her further down to look at more plants, "I'm beginning to like unusual plants more too."

We walked around for a few more hours, taking in all the different things we were seeing, but also absorbing what we were saying to each other. The time to leave came as it was getting late and we both had to be home for dinner, so we walked back to the train station. We took the train line back to the original station where we met up.

"I guess this is where we part," I said mournfully, unwilling to be parted yet after such a wonderful date.

Yumi nodded her head and looked for a moment like she was struggling with something in her mind. I waited for a moment to see what she would do, and I was shocked when her hand cupped my face and she pressed her lips to mine in a soft kiss. My eyes fluttered closed, feeling the warm static charge race through my body from where our lips were touching. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and I thought for sure that Yumi could hear it too.

The kiss was short, sweet, inexperienced but absolutely the most perfect thing I had ever experienced in my life. "That was my first kiss," Yumi murmured after breaking the embrace.

"Mine too," I whispered, still in shock over what she had done, "And I wouldn't mind doing it again."

Yumi just smiled at me and tenderly brushed her fingers against my cheek. "I see you tomorrow at school Shimako," she murmured against my lips, brushing over them one last time before departing for her train.

I stood there stupidly for a few minutes, fingers brushing against my bottom lip, still feeling the ghostly impression of Yumi's lips pressed there. My face was surely going to be stuck with the same wistful expression on it that accompanied all the way home.

* * *

"I'm not sure what was the worst part of all those chores," Noriko whined as she collapsed on the floor in Shimako's room, "The sweeping, the dusting, pulling the weeds out of the gardens or having to wear a kimono the whole time."

"Please stop talking," Touko muttered, "You're giving me a headache. The spiral-curled haired girl collapsed next to the other girl, groaning at the aches in her body. "How can Shimako-sama stand this all the time?"

Noriko just grunted in agreement, "I never thought of my Onee-sama as particularly strong, but now I beg to differ, that was horrible."

Touko lifted her hands over her face to look at them. "My blisters have blisters," she complained, examining the red sores littering her fingers and palms, "Her dad is such a slave driver, I thought you said you met him before?"

"I have," Noriko groaned, "but then he was just a Buddhist priest showing his temple to a visitor, this time he was a caretaker overseeing workers."

Touko braced herself up on her elbows and looked down at Noriko. "You know," she started, "I've also never thought of your Onee-sama as particularly devious or the type to carry a grudge but she totally tossed us to the wolves on this one. This was her revenge for us following her on her date after all."

"If this is how she enacts her revenge, I'm never getting on her bad side ever, ever again," Noriko stated, gazing at her own blisters, "It's going to take forever for these to heal."

"This doesn't mean your going to stop helping me follow them on their dates are you?" Touko asked.

Noriko shook her head, "No but we have to really work on never getting caught, Onee-sama surprisingly has a sadistic side, which I didn't think was possible."

Touko dropped back down and let out a great breath of air, "I can barely move in this kimono, how did women used to wear these all the time?"

"Maybe that's the trick, just don't move," Noriko offered weakly. Touko groaned in response and whacked Noriko in the shoulder in response. They poked at each other for a few more minutes, before letting out a collective groan.

* * *

I opened my door after hearing a large groan coming from my room. Looking down at the floor, I saw Noriko and Touko both lying there, spread out as far as they could. I barely noticed their presence though as I was still on my 'after Yumi high' as the two girls on my floor started calling it. I only recalled that they were there when I bumped into one with my foot and they both let out a moan.

Snapping my eyes down towards them, I took in their disheveled appearances. "Why are you both wearing kimonos?" I asked them.

They weakly lifted their arms from over their eyes to glare at me. "Your father said that it was tradition to do the chores wearing tradition Japanese clothing," Touko said, sounding very much like a petulant child.

I stared at them incredulously before I started giggling uncontrollably, "Oh gosh, you believed that? Oh dear, he was just playing a trick on you and it looks like you fell for it." At the glares coming my way, I quickly explained myself, "I never wear a kimono when cleaning the place as it's too restrictive. I usually wear light work clothes depending on what I'm doing."

Noriko sputtered, "He lied to us? Why?"

I shrugged, "Probably seeing you guys doing the chores wearing kimonos was very amusing to him, he does have a strange sense of humor after all." I giggled a little, but apparently the other two occupants of the room didn't find it funny.

"If I could move and you weren't a respected senior," Touko started, "I would so strangle you right now."

I smiled at them weakly, trying very hard not to laugh, "C'mon, let's get you guys out of those kimonos and I can wrap the blisters you two have on your hands. I used to get them too when I first started helping with the chores. What did he have you doing anyway?"

Noriko snorted, "What didn't we do? Pulled weeds, swept the floors, dusted the statues, cleaned out the fish pond…"

"Trimmed the bushes," Touko continued, "Beat out the rugs and temple mats, straightened the tea pots, etc etc…"

I blinked at them, "Wow, you guys basically did all my chores for the whole month, wonder why he had you do so much?"

"What?!" They both yelled at me.

I put up my hands in surrender, "Don't get mad at me, he was probably just utilizing the opportunity to have another hand around and get things done faster." I spread cream over the sores on their hands and started wrapping small strips of gauze around them.

"You can make it up to us," Touko said suddenly. I looked up and saw Noriko look over at the other girl quickly before turning her gaze back to me.

"How?" I asked slowly.

"By telling us what happened on your date," Touko answered and I turned bright pink.

"I don't think that would be appropriate," I stammered out, trying to change the subject.

"Oh know," Touko insisted, "We had to put up with the Buddhist temple boot camp your father put us through this afternoon, the least you can do is tell us all our pain and suffering was worth it."

A wistful smile spread across my face once more as I thought about my first kiss shared with Yumi. "Oh it was worth it," I murmured, "It was so worth it."

* * *

**And there we go, the beginning of something beautiful. I was issued a challenge to create Touko and Noriko's relationship without either of them ever mentioning it, so it will be a slow progression for them unfortunately. However, now that Yumi and Shimako are in it with both feet, Shimako's "Sei-ness" will start to come out more, and the real Sei will make an appearance at some point, probably later on. And as for the chores, I realized your imaginations would do a much better job than what I could, so I just wrote the aftermath of them.**

**Review please, keeps me motivated.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I forgot what I said was going to happen in this chapter. I think originally, Yumi and Touko were going to become soeurs, but I needed to get through this part first, the aftermath of the date and such. Pent up feelings that both Shimako and Yumi are just finally starting to deal with are coming out, as well as the antics of two class favorites, as well as the appearances of desired characters.**

**Anyway, I was supposed to publish this yesterday, but Andwick the wise posted the next installment of The Sorcerer's Heart, so I was completely distract for most of yesterday when I was supposed to be updating this. Even now, I'm trying to think of a review that will probably express my gratitude for that really long chapter and the immense joy and heartache it brought me... Over 2 years was a long time to wait for it, but it was worth the wait... Sigh, anyway, back to my story. This chapter could be classified as a filler to some, but really it's not, important things happen in this chapter that had to take place now. It's a little earlier than I imagined, but the choices some of the characters made took away my options**

**Now, on to the story, please review, I mean it, reviews are like cookies, and since I can't have real ones right now since I gave them up for Lent, you must give me virtual ones.**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 7**

"Good day Yumi-san," a voice called.

Said girl looked up from her bag that she was packing to the person standing next to her desk. "Tsutako-san," she cried, "You startled me, good day."

The bespectacled girl smirked, "You probably should pay better attention to your surroundings, it's not the first time I've managed to catch you unaware."

Yumi looked at her curiously, "What do you mean by that?" Tsutako set down a photograph envelope in front of her, and Yumi opened it, looking at the first picture on the stack. "Eep," she squeaked, slamming a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise. She quickly closed the envelope, standing up, and started pulling Tsutako out of the room. "You were there?" She hissed once she knew that they were alone.

Tsutako nodded, "I was at the botanical gardens, working on lighting and testing a new lens I got for my camera by practicing taking pictures of flowers. Plus they make really good stock photos, anyway, I was focusing on this particularly tree when I spotted one of my favorites subjects under it, namely you so…."

"So…" Yumi nudged.

"I followed you," Tsutako admitted, "You and Shimako-san. At first I didn't realize what you guys were doing there, but I quickly realized you were, um, on a D-A-T-E." She spelled the last word, making it clear that she knew exactly what she was dealing with concerning the two roses.

"When exactly did you realize that we were on a date?" Yumi asked, seeking clarification.

"Um, hehe," Tsutako rubbed the back of her neck, "After you guys started holding hands and stuff, being all touchy feely with each other."

Yumi just stared at her, "And yet you continued to follow us…"

Tsutako shrugged and smiled sheepishly, "I figured you would want pictures of the date. And if you ask me," she said, taking the envelope out of Yumi's hands, opening it and motioning towards the picture, "That looks like a first kiss to me, don't you want a picture of it?"

The pigtailed girl took the envelope and looked at the picture inside, flipping through the rest, but lingering on the one of her first kiss. "Thank you Tsutako-san," she murmured, "While I don't appreciate you spying on us, I do appreciate the pictures."

Tsutako nodded, "And as a show of good faith that I don't really have any motives for this, I included the negatives with it, as well as copies for Shimako-san."

Yumi couldn't contain herself anymore and hugged the other girl, "Thank you! Though, it's a good thing that you came to me with these instead of Shimako… She probably would have attacked you!"

The bespectacled girl just raised her eyebrow. "Really," she asked, "I didn't know that Shimako-san had a violent side."

Yumi giggled, "Apparently I bring out some interesting traits in her, she did say that she was going to seduce me."

A gleam appeared in Tsutako's eyes, "Mhm, I might have to follow you guys around some more, I want to capture this new side of Rosa Gigantea that not many people see."

The chestnut haired brunette just stared at her darker haired friend and shrugged, "Your funeral if she catches you."

Tsutako just smirked superiorly, "Please, I stalk girls, taking pictures of them for a living, I haven't gotten caught yet."

"I probably wouldn't describe it in such a manner," Yumi deadpanned, pulling her friend back towards the classroom.

* * *

I walked out of my classroom and spotted Yumi making her way towards me. "Hello gorgeous," I purred when she was right next to me. The brunettes face turned bright red and I giggled a little. It was a little out of character for me to say such a thing, but Yumi tended to bring out the "Sei" side of me, though, as far as I could tell, she wasn't complaining.

"Moa, Shimako," Yumi cried, swatting at my arm, "You're turning into Sei-sama more and more every day." Okay so maybe that could be taken as a complaint, but I choose to ignore it.

"It's not so much of a bad thing is it?" I asked hesitantly.

Yumi shook her head, "No, but just remember, I like you, not Sei-sama, as long as it's part of you and not you changing just because of me."

I smiled at her and took her hand, "Nope, you just bring the good side out of me that's all."

The brunette shook her head ruefully, "Some people might not consider it a good side."

"Well they aren't the ones I'm dating, you are," the statement came out as half a statement, half a question, like I needed confirmation that what I was saying was true.

I could tell by Yumi's facial expression that she understood the hesitance behind the statement, and she squeezed my hand comfortingly. "Your right," she murmured, "I'm the one dating you, and I think a little bit of "Sei-samaish" behavior is acceptable."

I just grinned in response and continued to pull Yumi out of the school and towards the trees that quickly became referred to as 'our' spot. "It's probably a good thing then that we don't have a meeting this afternoon. I would hate to have to attach Sachiko-sama for making 'eyes' at my girlfriend," I said, watching Yumi's face as I said the last word. It turned beet red as usual, but a shy smile was on her face so I knew she was fine with the title.

"Sachiko-sama has not been making 'eyes' at me," Yumi protested.

"If that's what you chose to believe, you may continue to do so, as long as you don't inadvertently flirt with other people, then I might actually have to hit someone, and that's not exactly fitting with my image," I replied, posing in my usual 'Angel of Lillian' expression.

"Ah, that reminds me," Yumi said suddenly, pulling out a folder from her bag, "I think you might want to take a look at these."

I took the folder out of her hand and looked at it. It was a simple photograph envelope, so I opened it and choked on the air as I saw the first picture. "Wha-What?" I sputtered, pulling the picture out of the envelope. "How did you get this?" I ask her, not tearing my eyes away from the photograph.

"Apparently Tsutako-san was at the botanical gardens when we were there, and of course she followed us, taking pictures."

I blinked, "I can't decide whether to be mad at her for following us, or thank her for taking these pictures." I looked back down at the pictures and flipped through the other scenes Tsutako-san managed to capture.

"She made copies of the pictures and I already took mine out, so these are all yours," Yumi murmured.

I reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her behind the trees and out of sight. Keeping hold of her hand, I leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. "It's perfect," I whispered against her lips, placing another kiss on Yumi's lips.

Yumi's free hand drifted up and tangled in my hair while my hand reached around her and pulled her closer to me. I was pretty close to losing myself in the kiss, feeling the tip of Yumi's tongue brushing against my lips, when I heard a cough from behind us. We sprung apart, breathing heavily and looked in the direction of the noise.

"Touko-chan," I seethed, glaring at the spiral haired girl.

"Why do you accuse poor Touko," the actress quipped, "It could have been Noriko who coughed."

I cast a glance at my petite soeur before turning back to the irritating pigtailed junior. "I highly doubt that, she has yet to close her mouth and snap out of her daze," I said, waving my hand in front of Noriko's face.

Touko-chan looked over at Noriko and rolled her eyes. "Well she's the only one not paying attention," she threw back at me.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, that we've been standing here for a few minutes and Tsutako-sama has been here longer than we have."

I saw Yumi's face turn tomato red, and I internally wondered how she doesn't pass out from all the blood rushing to her face. The last statement Touko-chan said registered in my head, and I looked around for the offending culprit. "Tsutako-san," I hissed, basically ordering her to show herself.

The bespectacled girl crawled out of a bush. "Good day all," Tsutako-san said, not at all acting like she had been spying on me and my girlfriend making out. She held her camera up and pointed it at my face. "Rosa Gigantea's angry face, something not many people have seen," she said, snapping a picture, "Who would have thought Shimako-san would be the aggressive one in the relationship, right?" Tsutako-san winked at Yumi, who face turned a deeper shade of red, which I didn't think was possible.

Touko-chan finally elbowed Noriko in the ribs to snap her out of her daze. Noriko shook her head, "Touko, I had the strangest dream. I dreamed that we walked up to see my Onee-sama making out with yur future Onee-sama, and my Onee-sama was practically groping Yumi-sama's-"

"Noriko," Touko-chan hissed, "Shut-up."

The raven-haired girl looked around, noticing, for the first time, Tsutako-san, Yumi and I around her. "It wasn't a dream was it?" She whimpered, shrinking back a bit. Touko-chan shook her head and I gave Noriko a dirty look in response. Noriko whimpered again, "Some things I can't unsee…"

"Maybe this will teach you to stop following us," Yumi said, finally in control of herself enough to reign in her blushing.

"Won't stop me," Tsutako-san said, "Now that I've found something beautiful to takes pictures of, why would I stop?"

"And I have to continue observing the progress of your relationship," Touko-chan added then turned to Noriko, "Suck it up Noriko, get a hold of yourself."

Noriko waved her hand, "I'm good, I'm good."

"I can't believe this," I cried, throwing my hands up, "Will you people please leave, this is Yumi and mine's special place."

The other three simply stared at me blankly. "No need to yell Shimako-sama, we're leaving, we just wanted to know how you're date went. Now I guess we know," Touko-chan stated.

I was debating whether I could strangle the younger girl in front of witnesses when I felt a soft hand grasp my own. "It's okay Shimako," Yumi whispered to me. "They spy and snoop because they care, just let it go."

I melted a little as I felt her breath gently graze my ear. "But aren't you upset a little that they've been following us around?" I asked her quietly so that the others wouldn't hear me.

"Well, as long as Tsutako-san promises not to publish the more, graphic pictures," Yumi blushed, "I don't mind if she takes pictures, and as for the two tweedles, they'll have to get used to seeing things if they're going to follow us. I mean, we can't exactly stop them now can we?"

"No I guess not," I muttered, "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"It does give us an excuse to make-out more to freak them out," Yumi replied with a grin.

I just stared at her stupidly, my mouthing hanging open in shock. I was about to reply when I heard someone clear their throat. "Um, yeah, hi," Tsutako-san said, "Remember us, standing right here."

Yumi rolled her eyes and we turned back to the intruders. "Yes?" I said.

"So does this mean that you two are going to come out at school?" Tsutako-san asked.

Yumi looked at me, and I just motioned to her, letting her know that I was differing to her wishes. "Ummm, well, we're not going to hide it exactly," Yumi started, "but I don't think we should broadcast it either."

"Why's that?" Touko-chan asked.

"It's a little selfish, but I don't want Sachiko-sama to find out. I'm a little scared of how she might react. If we're all PDA everywhere, then she'll definitely find out, but if we're casual about it, she won't know. She doesn't listen to gossip that much and people know better by now than to gossip around her anyway," Yumi said, looking at me hesitantly. I nodded my head at her encouragingly. Her plan was fine with me, I didn't particularly want Sachiko-sama to find out either, and this was the best way to prevent that.

"You should probably tell Mami-san this then, get her on your side to prevent the newspaper club from running a big story. Remember the yellow-rose debacle that Minako-sama created about Eriko-sama's personal life?" Tsutako-san said.

Yumi and I flinched while the two first years just looked confused. "Mami-san is our friend," Yumi protested, "She wouldn't do something like that."

"I know that, but it's the best way to keep the newspaper club off your back. Friends close and enemies closer right?"

I sighed, "That is true, I guess you're right, but that means we have to our friends first, well, the ones that don't know anyway."

"So that's, who, Yoshino-san and Rei-sama?" Yumi asked.

"And Onee-sama, Eriko-sama and Youko-sama…" I whispered, dread filling me.

"Oh no…" Yumi muttered.

"The former roses? What's wrong with telling them?" Touko-chan asked.

"They're never gonna let us hear the end of it…" Yumi and I said at the same time.

* * *

"… I see, so Yoshino has already called you Eriko-sama?" Yumi listened to the reply from the older girl on the other end of the phone, "Yes, well, Shimako and I thought that we better let the people we care about know before rumors start spreading… Yes my family already knows, and they like Shimako… Yes, I'll make sure to tell her that when I see her… Rei-sama's calling your other line? Alright, I'll let you go, good day Eriko-sama." Yumi hit end call on her phone and reopened her contacts folder. She stared at a particular name in her contacts, debating whether to wait and call her or call her directly. _Youko-sama is Sachiko-sama's Onee-sama, what if she doesn't agree to keep this quiet, or what if she doesn't think I'm watching out for Sachiko-sama like she asked me to do… _Yumi continued fretting for a few minutes before hitting send.

The phone on the other end rang a few times before Youko picked up. "_Yumi-chan? It's nice to hear from you, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?_"

"Um, good day Rosa-Ch- I'm, Youko-sama, are you alone?"

"_Not presently, but here, let me step out- Sei! Why do you leave your shoes lying all over the place!... Sorry about that Yumi-chan, what can I do for you?"_

_"_You're at Sei-sama's place_?"_

"_No, she showed up at mine and decided to make herself extremely comfortable. Like a cat, that one is."_

"She does give off that appearance doesn't she? So how is college Youko-sama?"

"_Boring at times, rewarding at others, but always taxing. Now Yumi-chan, not that I don't love a call from you and these pleasantries and such, but something tells me that you're not calling me just because you missed me."_

Yumi flinched, "I'm sorry Youko-sama."

"_It's alright Yumi-chan, just tell me what you're going to tell me."_

Yumi took a deep breath. "Shimako and I are dating, and we're keeping it from Sachiko-sama so she doesn't cause unneeded drama," she rushed out, sucking in more air when she finished.

"_Okay… you better start at the beginning so I understand the whole situation."_

Yumi told her everything from how Sachiko was acting at the beginning of the term, Shimako's confession, the progression of their relationship (minus certain details of course), and finally how oddly Sachiko was behaving now. When she finished, she heard silence on the other end. "_Oh Sachiko,"_ Youko murmured, "_What are you doing… And you say that Sei knew what was going on?"_

"Well, Shimako said that Sei-sama knew how she felt about me, and she was there that day that everything came a head, so I'm assuming she knew, or well, knows I guess."

_"I'll have to have a word with her later about keeping important information about little sisters from me. Anyway, I'm happy for you Yumi-chan, for both you and Shimako."_

"Thank you Youko-sama, honestly, I thought you would be a bit disappointed in me?"

"_For what? About Sachiko? No, I'm disappointed in her, and disprove of the way she has been acting. I'm not exactly sure what is going through her mind, nor do I think I want to know. No, I support you and Shimako, and I agree that it is best not to tell Sachiko what is going on; I've found it's always best to keep her in the dark about things that could cause her to go all 'hysterical heiress' on us."_

"Thank you Youko-sama, oh, and, something I've been meaning to ask you, are you and Sei-sama…?"

"_Are we… together? No, but I have no doubt Sei wants us to be, but she's put me through a lot these past few years, I get to have my fun now, watching as she stews. Anyway, I expect you to call me more now Yumi-chan, at least once week with updates on things and just to tell me how you've been. You know I am quite fond of you Yumi-chan."_

Yumi's face reddened at that, "I will Youko-sama, I promise, good day." _Gah, so embarrassing, I wonder how Shimako is doing…_

* * *

"Pick-up, pick-up, pick-up…" I muttered as heard the phone ringing on the other end. After our conversation with Tsutako-san, Touko-chan and Noriko, Yumi and I decided that is was time to tell the rest of our friends, minus Sachiko-sama of course. We decided that it would be easier on us to just call the previous roses than to try to get everyone together. Yumi tasked me with telling my Onee-sama, while she called Youko-sama and Eriko-sama. We caught up to Yoshino-san before she went home and told her. She was ecstatic and agreed to tell Rei-sama later when they got home, but also to tell her what was going on with Sachiko-sama and to keep this away from her. It was better for everyone involved that the Red Rose not find out. Currently, I was waiting for Sei-sama to answer the phone, dreading the conversation that was about to happen.

"_Oh hey Shimako!"_ My Onee-sama's voice cried when she answered the phone, "_Isn't this a coincidence, my Yumi-chan just called Youko on her cell phone and she had to step out. Does this phone call have anything to do with that phone call?"_

When I didn't respond right away, she just continued, letting out one of her typical loud, boisterous laughs, "_Aha, I thought so, finally got her to date you didn't ya, haha, way to go Shimako, I knew ya had it in ya."_

I could feel my cheeks starting to heat up a little, but continued on ignoring the embarrassment. "Yes, well, Yumi and I wanted to inform everyone that we were dating, but also to keep it a secret from Sachiko-sama," I informed her, already envisioning the grin that was probably on her face right now.

"_Ah, keeping the competition in the dark, not exactly what I would do, but given the vicious nature of said competition, it's probably the best idea."_

"That's not exactly why we're not telling her…"

"_Yes yes, I know Shimako, I know, Sachiko would create unneeded drama if she knew. I mean, she'll probably create drama anyway, but it won't be as bad… probably… So yes, I'll keep it quiet, though I can't speak for Eriko or Youko, but I'm assuming Yumi-chan is speaking to them about it."_

"Yes, that's what she's calling Youko-sama about right now. I don't know if she's already called Eriko-sama or not."

"_Well if she hasn't called her, Yoshino-chan probably has. Those two, despite how antagonistic towards each other, have a really good relationship. I suppose it has something to do with they each challenge each other more than anyone else… But I'd only be guessing, so tell me, is my Yumi-chan a good kisser?"_

I squeaked at that question, instantly turning bright red. "Onee-sama," I scolded.

"_Mhm,"_ I hear her murmur, "_So she is, very interesting."_

I groaned in response, and there was a brief pause on the other end of the line. "_You know you've put me in a slightly awkward position,"_ she said after a minute.

"What do you mean?"

"_Oh, the fact that my imouto has gotten her red rose before I have managed to work up the nerve to get mine_!" I tried to smoother the chuckles as they escaped my mouth, but I was unable to get all of them. "_It's not funny Shimako! Why are you getting more action than I am?!"_

"Maybe I'm just better at seducing red roses than you are," I shot back.

"_Gasp, my petite soeur has developed a dirty side, very nice, I bet that Yumi-chan brings it out of you doesn't she? Hehe, just wait until you two get to the part when you start-"_

"Onee-sama!" I cut her off. I didn't need to be cast into any more daydreams while on the phone with my Onee-sama.

"_Hehe, what is it about red roses, that draws us in like they have… You don't think drill haired girl and Noriko-chan… I mean she is going to be Yumi-chan's petite soeur, no doubt about that, but do you think… Nah, that'd be too much right? Ooh, Youko's coming back in, I'll talk to you later Shimako, play nice with Yumi, don't make her make too many dinosaur noises."_

"_Sei!"_ I heard a muffled voice yell from the phone and a loud Whack!

"_Ouch! Youko, I was just kidding, by Shimako!"_

I shook my head at my Onee-sama's actions, "Youko-sama is the only one that can get her to behave." I thought about what she implied about Noriko and Touko-chan, that they might eventually, but quickly dismissed the thought. _That would be too much of a coincidence right? Not possible, they're just really good friends. Although, Yumi and I were just really good friends until recently… Nah, it wouldn't happen, I mean, 3 generation of Red and White roses? Impossible._

* * *

**A/N: Review! I'm Jedi Mind commanding you to Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Um... No excuses for how late this one was, but I made it longer for you guys to make up for it. Really, what happened was one of my reviewers mentioned a few chapters ago that it would be great if I could write a Twilight fiction with Bella and one of the Denali sisters. I didn't want to, but I decided just to write one without publishing it. Actually, I'm having alot of fun writing it, I'm not sure if I'll ever publish it since it's very rough. Anyway, I wrote about 20,000 words before realizing that I hadn't been writing this chapter much, so I hammered this out for you.**

**I really am sorry, I'll try to do better, but I'm painting again, so I'm rather flaky at the moment.**

**And a quest for help please: I need some ideas for funny scenes between Noriko and Touko that would be interesting to see. I have some in mind, but I know everyone would love more. If I use your idea, I'll give credit for the concept. It doesn't just have to be them, it can be other people, but no Sachiko. I know what's going on with her, everyone else is free game though to suggest scenarios.**

**Happy reading, no summary for this one since it's a bit longer.**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 8**

When I walked into the Rose Mansion the next day, Yoshino-san smirked at me from where she was sitting and Rei-sama was giving me a contemplative look. "Never would have guessed," she said after a few minutes, shaking her head before turning her head back to her book. I looked over at Yoshino-san questioningly.

"Rei-chan didn't believe me at first when I told her about you and Yumi-san, but I managed to convince her. She's still a bit shocked though," Yoshino-san replied, laughter evident in her eyes.

I bit back a chuckle and sat down, pulling out my homework to go over before class. Noriko placed a cup of tea in front of me on the table, and I looked up at her gratefully. The younger black haired girl seemed to have recovered from her shock yesterday as she was no longer gaping, but she still hasn't had the courage to look me in the eyes. I know I should feel bad for possibly traumatizing my petite-soeur, but I was too amused by it to be angry and hopefully it'll teach her a lesson to stop spying on Yumi and I.

Just then, Yumi walked in the room, followed closely by Touko-chan. I saw Yoshino-san wink at Yumi, which caused the brunette to blush a bright red, and I giggled a little. Touko-chan heard me and winked at me in turn, causing me to blush as well and glare at her a little. The pigtailed first year just smirked in response and started helping Noriko with the tea. I rolled my eyes a little at her insolence.

"Hey Yumi-san," Yoshino-san said, and I involuntarily glanced across the table to where Yoshino and Yumi were talking, "Can we meet up for lunch today? I want to discuss something with you."

Yumi's eyes briefly flickered over to mine before she nodded her head. "Sure," she answered, "I mean, I was going to talk to Mami-san during lunch, but I can do it another time."

"I can do it," I interrupted, "I can talk to her, Tsutako-san can help me."

The brunette nodded and started reviewing her own homework, scrunching her face up in confusion at what was in front of her.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, leaning over the table to see what she was studying.

"Math homework," Yumi mumbled, "Algebra, I'm not very good at it. I just don't see the point of why they included letters in with the numbers."

I giggled, and moved around the table to sit on Yumi's other side. "I can help you if you want. Math isn't exactly my specialty but I do okay in class," I offered, smiling at my girlfriend's relieved expression.

"Thank you Shimako," Yumi cried, "Math has always been one of my lowest grades, even lower than English conversation or Japanese literature."

"Well maybe if we study together from now on, we'll get your grades up," I said, grinning at her. I was completely shocked when the pigtailed girl leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thanks Shimako," she whispered in my ear. I stared blankly at her for a few moments as I felt my cheeks heat up. The spot where she kissed me seemed unusually warm.

Suddenly I heard chuckling and I looked over to see Rei-sama laughing at me. "I guess I can't deny what I see in front of my own eyes," she admitted, wiping the tears leaking out of her eyes, "You two are too cute together. I get it now and I'll support the two of you in this, even keeping it away from Sachiko."

"Thank you Rei-sama," Yumi said, "that means a lot to us."

The boyish rose nodded her head and started packing up her things. "I have to meet with some of my classmates for a project before class starts so I better be going. I'll probably try to get them to come here this afternoon and the rest of the week so we can have some privacy to work on the projects so the rest of you might want to stay away. Sachiko's class is doing the same project and she told me that her group was going to be meeting here in the mornings this week. She's asking them right now I think."

"No student council meetings this week? Hallelujah, they've been quite boring for the last few weeks," Yoshino said, slapping the table, "It'll give me a chance to work on my kendo."

I looked over at Yumi who was laughing at Yoshino-san and a wicked thought crossed my mind. "We'll have more time to spend together," I purred into her ear.

Yumi squeaked in response and the tip of her ear turned bright red. "Shimako," she whined, "Don't do that."

Touko-chan smirked at us and Noriko just continued to look down at her book, unseeingly. "So traumatizing," I heard her whisper, "I haven't seen anything, haven't heard anything, I know nothing… Nothing at all…"

I couldn't help but laugh at my petite soeur. Touko-chan saw what I was laughing at and just shook her head, sighing. "Come-on Noriko, let's get you to class," the spiral haired pigtailed girl said as she pulled Noriko out of her seat and back her bad. Noriko just mumbled a few words that didn't sound like any type of sentence I've ever heard but Touko-chan seemed to understand her. "Uhuh, yeah, come on, let's go," Touko said, pushing the other girl out the door, "Oh wait, Yumi-sama, are you still up for going on a trip with me this Sunday?"

"Yes, of course, we'll meet at the train station then? What time?"

"I'll call you to arrange the details since I'll be busy with drama club this week, I'll see you all later," Touko replied, taking my soeur with her out the door.

Yoshino-san chuckled and started gathering her things up. "I'm gonna head out too. I'll see you in class Yumi-san, see you later Shimako-san."

When she left, Yumi and I were left alone in the Rose Mansion. I helped Yumi work through her math homework, but soon it was time to go to class. "Guess it's time to go," I said, glancing at my watch.

"I guess it is," Yumi murmured. I looked over at her and she seemed to be struggling with something again, but snapped out of it before I could say anything and started packing her bag.

I grabbed her hand and we made our way downstairs. Just before we exited the building, Yumi tugged my hand, spinning me back around to her. I started to say something but the brunette's lips were on mine before I could even finish the thought on what I was going to say. "Sorry," she said, breaking the kiss, "I've just been wanting to do that since I saw you this morning."

"I have too," I answered her, kissing her gently on the lips, "I'll see you later today."

"Yeah, good luck with Mami-san, she can be quite pushy when she wants to be."

"I know, oh, good luck with Yoshino-san, what do you think she wants to talk about?"

"No idea, but I guess I'll find out at lunch time."

* * *

Yumi sighed in relief when the teacher closed class for lunchtime. She started pulling out her lunchbox when Yoshino appeared next to her desk and grabbed her arm. "Come on Yumi-san," Yoshino said she started dragging her friend out the door.

"Ah, gah, hey, Yoshino-saaaannnn," Yumi whined, "Slow down!"

Yoshino-san chuckled, "Sorry Yumi-san, I'm just a excited to hear about your date and what happened yesterday that prompted you and Shimako-san to start telling people about your relationship."

Yumi filled her friend in on what had been going on and when she finished, Yoshino had tears of laughter streaking out of her face. "Oh that's just great," she said, wiping at her tears, "Tsutako-san, Touko-chan and Noriko-chan caught you making out, oh that's a classic."

The pigtailed brunette turned bright red, "That's not funny Yoshino-san, I was so embarrassed."

"You were just upset that your alone time was interrupted, and your private place was disrupted."

Yumi pouted and looked away, a slight blush staining her cheeks. "Anyway, was that all you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked, looking back at her friend.

"No," Yoshino admitted, "Well, this is really difficult for me to ask."

"Just go ahead."

"What's it like?"

Yumi blinked, "What do you mean?"

"What's it like? Being in a relationship, like a real romantic relationship."

"I'm not sure you should ask me," Yumi replied honestly, "I just entered into one myself, so I'm still learning. I just know that it's different than any other relationship I've had with anyone else."

Yoshino snorted, "Of course it's different, it's the first time you've dated someone."

The pigtailed girl rolled her eyes, "Not like that different but different with the emotions involved obviously, but also with how it developed, is developing and growing."

"Ugh, I don't understand, you're starting to speak like Shimako-san."

Yumi chuckled, "I'll take that as a complement even though you didn't intend it to be one. Anyway, every relationship is different, so I can't really tell you what it's like because you'll probably have different experiences and feelings."

"Mhm…"

"Why do you ask anyway? Is there anyone you like?"

Yoshino's face turned red briefly before she looked away in a sulk. "Of course not," she protested, "Don't be silly." Looking back down at her food, Yoshino began eating once more, signaling a halt in the conversation

Yumi giggled, _Yoshino doth protest too much, but I'll get the real answer out of her soon. I can be a bit more patient than she is… _The two friends ate the rest of their lunch in silence.

* * *

"Okay Tsutako-san, Shimako-san, I'm out here, now what is this about? Do I smell a story in the air, hmm?" Mami-san asked, staring at us expectantly. The pint-sized reporter had her notebook and pen out at the ready, which was very typical of a member of the newspaper club.

"Easy there Mami-san," Tsutako-san said, gently patting down the other girl, "What we want to tell you is something that might pop up in the rumor mill in a few weeks, possibly a few days if things work as quickly as they usually do."

"So why are you telling me then when I can just get the information from rumors?" Mami-san asked suspiciously.

Tsutako-san grinned, "Sharp as ever Mami-san. Anyway, we're telling you this piece of information for you to keep it out of the papers and away from your muckraking Onee-sama."

"Tell me the information and the reason and I'll determine whether I can comply with your request or not," Mami-san offered.

Tsutako-san looked over at me. "It's the best we're gonna get from her at this point," she said. I sighed, knowing it was true.

I let out a shaky breath, "Yumi and I, well, we're kind of dating…"

"What?!" Mami-san burst out, "And you want me to keep this out of the paper, this is headline news, Rosa Gigantea finally gives into her crush on Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, how can I ignore this?"

I blinked, "Ah, what?"

The soon-to-be newspaper club president giggled. "Oh come on Shimako-san, you don't think you could hide that crush on Yumi-san from me do you? If Tsutako-san could figure it out, I could too," she replied, snickering to herself.

"Did anyone not know?!" I burst out uncharacteristically. It was really starting to get on my nerves that my secret crush wasn't exactly a secret to begin with.

"Calm down Shimako-san," Mami-san said, patting me down like Tsutako-san did with her earlier, "The current third years don't know, the first years don't know, and most of our classmates probably don't know."

"The words most and probably from your statement don't really give me any comfort Mami-san," I replied dryly. I honestly didn't think I could behave like this, but people do all sorts of things when pushed.

"I'm just saying that those of us who know you and watched you closely last year and this year probably know, but we haven't said anything have we?" Mami-san retorted, "What I want to know is that now you and Yumi-san are together, why don't you want me to put it in the paper?"

"It's just," I started, not quite sure what to say, "It's private, like between Yumi and I. We don't really want a lot of people in our business. Plus, we don't want certain people to find out."

"Certain people?"

"The Rosa Chinensis," Tsutako-san interjected.

"Ah," Mami-san nodded knowingly, "She does seem like she would cause trouble wouldn't she, even without meaning to probably."

"Exactly," Camera-chan answered.

"Alright, so what do we do?" Mami-san asked.

I answered her, "Not much really. Yumi and I don't care about the rumors, because Sachiko-sama doesn't really listen to them, but we don't want your Onee-sama putting it in the newspaper."

"I'll get a handle on her," Mami-san promised, "After the mess she created with Rosa Foetida last year, I think she is a little bit more careful with portraying personal lives in the paper."

"Thank you Mami-san," I said gratefully, "This really means a lot to us."

"Hey, you and Yumi-san are my friends, and in my book, friends come before any story."

"Are you going to tell Yumi-san how this conversation went?"

"I would tell her this afternoon, but I have to go home right away. My father has guests coming over, but I'll call her later." Tsutako-san nodded and the three of us went back to lunch. While eating, I kept thinking about what I was going to do now. I got the girl, but now what? I had to find a way to keep the girl, meaning spending more time together, but how? Too many dates out can get to be expensive, so I'll have to find a way to spend time with her outside of school without spending money…

* * *

_"So the conversation with Mami-san went okay?"_ Yumi's voice filtered through the speaker on my cell phone. When I came home from school, my father surprised me by giving me my own cell-phone with unlimited minutes, claiming he didn't want his phone bill to skyrocket since I had gotten a girlfriend. I felt my face heat up in response to the gift but I thanked him for it.

"Yeah, it took some convincing on both mine and Tsutako-san's parts but she agreed to keep it out of the papers and keep Minako-sama from doing anything too," I replied. I was lying on my bed reading a book when I remembered that I was going to call Yumi since I wasn't able to see her that afternoon.

"_Was she surprised that we were, you know, dating?"_ I heard the hesitance in Yumi's voice when she said the word 'dating' and I couldn't help but smile.

"No, actually, she wasn't. She said it was about time I worked up the nerve to do something about the crush I had on you. Apparently I'm not as good at hiding things as I thought I was."

Yumi giggled, "_No Shimako, you're plenty good at hiding things from me, because I never knew! But I guess you slipped up a few times when I wasn't around and the people that know you extremely well would've picked up on it. Besides, Mami-san and Tsutako-san spent the majority of their time stalking people, so of course they would know."_

"I guess so, but it's still slightly irritating on my part. The only one that has shown any shock so far was Rei-sama; it's kind of a let down."

The other girl giggled again and we were both silent for a moment before she spoke again. "_Hey Shimako, were you serious about helping me with my school work? Helping me understand more of it and such?"_

"Of course," I said firmly, "You're my girlfriend, I'd do anything for you."

"_Would you like to come over to my house tomorrow after school to study together, you can bring a change of clothes so you don't have to wear your uniform the whole time."_

My eyes widened for a minute at the thought of going over to Yumi's house, but I smiled when I realized how hard it must've been for her to ask me. "I'd like that," I replied, "I'll just come home with you after school then."

I could hear Yumi let out a breath in relief. "_Oh good, you can stay for dinner too, my Mom wants to meet you… Oh she's calling me, I have to go, see you tomorrow Shimako."_ She hung up before I could say anything. I was too much shock to register that she wasn't on the phone anymore. I just continued to hold it up uselessly to my ear. _Her mom wants to meet me?! Now what do I do?_

* * *

"How do I look? Do I look okay?" I asked Yumi the next day. We were on the bus towards her house for our study date-er-session.

Yumi just smiled at me. "Relax Shimako, you're just meeting my mom is all. Yuuki is going out with some friends of his and my dad has a business dinner, so it's just going to be us girls tonight. You'll be fine."

Visibly, I calmed down at her words, but inside I was shaking like a leaf. I was meeting my girlfriend's mother, who I had never met before. It would be different if we had met when Yumi and I were just friends, but we hadn't, so I was terrified.

"Come on Shimako," Yumi said, getting off the bus. We walked down the road and came to a really interesting looking house, truly an architect's home. "Mom!" Yumi yelled out when we walked in the house. I braced myself for the meeting but it never came. "Ah, a note… oh she went to the store so she'll be back later."

I breathed a sigh of relief, which caught in my throat when I realized the inevitable was just being delayed for a few hours. I heard Yumi giggling and when I turned to look at her I saw she was laughing at me. "I'm sorry," she said, "Your face was just too funny. Let's just go upstairs, you can change in the bathroom."

We walked upstairs and Yumi showed me to her room so I could set my things down. "This is a nice room," I said, looking around, "Very you."

"Thanks, you're the first person to visit since I entered high school."

"Really?" I was surprised, "I'm honored."

She smiled at me in response, "Anyway, bathroom is across the hall, I'm going to change clothes in here, so knock before you enter."

I nodded and headed towards the bathroom, my change of clothes in hand. I changed into a long shirt and a skirt, and pulled part of my hair back away from my face with a clip so that I could focus on my homework. Walking back towards Yumi's room, I knocked on the door and heard a muffled 'okay' from the other side. I opened the door and blinked my eyes at what Yumi was wearing. She had put on a tight short sleeve t-shirt and very short denim shorts that made my mind grind to a halt.

"Hey Shimako, I was thinking we should do our math homework first since that's my worst subject, you know, do the easier stuff last… Shimako… Shimako?"

"Huh, what?" I snapped out of my daze.

"I was saying we should do the hard homework first," Yumi said giggling, "What captured your interest so?" I did a double take at her tone and the expression on her face and I realized that she knew exactly what she was doing to me.

I just smiled back at her serenely; two can play at this game. "Could be any number of things," I stated nonchalantly, bending over to get my books out of my bag, giving Yumi an idea of how incredibly short my skirt was. It would seem that she appreciated it as much as I appreciated her shorts because I heard her let out a choked cough. I grinned smugly in satisfaction when I stood back up and the other girl realized she had been caught.

"Alright, alright, let's just get to work," Yumi said laughing. I blushed and agreed with her. While our relationship was still very new, it's good to know that we're both attracted to each other, and it isn't just me feeling these things.

We did homework for a while, and I helped Yumi work through her math homework. I asked for her assistance while doing answering my literature questions since that's her best subject. All and all we had gotten about half of our work done before we heard someone come in downstairs. "Girls, I'm home!"

"Ah, it's my mom," Yumi said, "Come on Shimako, I'll introduce you."

Walking downstairs, I could feel my palms starting to sweat as I struggled to reign in my nerves. When we reached the ground floor, I saw a woman who looked like an older version of Yumi. "Oh," she said, "You must be Todo-san. I've been looking forward to meeting you; I've heard so much about you. I'm Yumi's mother, Fukuzawa Miki."

I bowed briefly in greeting, "It's nice to meet you Fukuzawa-sama, and yes, I'm Todo Shimako."

"You can call me Miki obaa-san dear, I mean you are my daughter's girlfriend after all."

I blushed lightly, "You can call me Shimako, Miki obaa-san."

"Okay Shimako-chan, you and Yumi-chan can go back up to your homework. I'll have dinner ready shortly," she said, giving me a warm smile that had shades of Yumi's smile in it. I relaxed instantly at seeing that smile.

"You sure it's okay mom? Do you need any help?" Yumi asked looking questioningly at her mother.

"It's alright, I got it. You girls go back to studying, I don't have near as much food to make since your father and brother aren't going to be here. I'll call you when it's done."

"Thanks Mom!"

"Yes, thank you Miki obaa-san," I agreed and we headed back upstairs.

We continued to work for another hour before dinner. I was much more comfortable now that I realized that Yumi's mother was almost exactly like her daughter, very kind and loving. Dinner was a very relaxed affair. Miki obaa-sama treated me like I was one of her children, asking how I was doing and about what I like to do in my free time. By the time it was over, it was almost time for me to head back home. I gathered my schoolbooks and uniform and met Yumi back downstairs.

"I'll walk you back to the bus stop," Yumi answered the silent question in my eyes. "Mom I'm going to walk Shimako to the bus stop."

"I'll right dear," Miki obaa-san said, walking back in the room. She pulled me into a hug before we left. "Come again anytime you want Shimako-chan, you're always welcome here, and I'm sure Yumi's dad will like to meet you as well. He was so jealous that I was going to get to meet you first."

"Thanks Miki obaa-san, I will," I replied, hugging her back.

"Well it's safe to say that your mom likes me," I said to Yumi once we had left the house.

"My dad likes you too," she responded, holding my hand as we walked towards the bus stop, "Even though you've never met, he knows how much you mean to me, as a friend and a girlfriend."

I felt my cheeks heat up momentarily as I smiled at her. "My family likes you too, maybe sometime you can come over and meet them."

"I'd like that," Yumi replied.

"It looks like my bus is coming," I said seeing a bus head up the street.

"Look like it, I'll see you later then?"

I leaned over and tenderly brushed my lips against Yumi's. "Yes, later."

* * *

"So where are we headed Touko-chan?" Yumi asked when she met up with the younger girl to go on their day trip.

"It's pretty far, so it'll be awhile, we can get lunch there though," was Touko-chan's reply as they boarded a train. They took a series of trains and buses until they reached the mountains. Once there, they took a private shuttle up to a hospital that Touko's grandfather ran.

The younger girl showed Yumi around the place and then explained about how her parents, her real parents, were killed in a car accident and her family adopted her.

"Touko-chan," Yumi murmured staring at the spot Touko indicated, "I had no idea, I really didn't want to pressure you into telling me."

"It's okay," Touko replied, not looking at the older girl, "I needed to tell someone, I mean my family doesn't even know that I know."

"Your biological mother probably passed on her acting talent to you. I'm sure they would be proud of you."

"I want to make my current family proud of me too," Touko cried, "That's why I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up, so I could take over this hospital. But my grandfather is going to retire before that can happen, so I decided on marrying a doctor. It's the only way I can repay my family."

"But would being a doctor make you happy?" Yumi asked. "Don't you think your family wants you to be happy, and do something you love with your life instead of just something you did to please others."

Touko thought for a moment about what the other girl said, "But, why did they adopt me then, if not to inherit the family business?"

"Did you ever think that maybe they fell in love with you when they saw you? That, maybe, they just wanted to give you a home and people that loved you?"

"I-" Touko paused, "I never thought of it that way. I know that they love me, but I just assumed, I mean, you know what Sachiko-sama's family is like with their business, I just assumed since they were related that they were the same."

"Have they ever talked to you about becoming a doctor?"

Touko shook her head. "No," she said slowly, "My father even sent away for brochures for drama schools for after high school, or universities with good theater programs."

"See? They just want you to be happy." Touko looked a little dubious. "You don't think so?" Yumi asked.

The other girl shrugged, "I'm not sure."

"Why don't you talk to them about it, like really talk to them?"

"Maybe I will," Touko said smiling slightly. They stood staring out in the distance. "Yumi-sama," Touko spoke.

"Mhm."

"I want you to ask me."

"What?"

"I want you to ask me," Touko repeated.

Yumi looked puzzled for a moment before her eyes widened. "Here?" She asked, clarifying.

Touko nodded, "Yeah, this is where I lost my first family and this is where I want my new family to grow."

The older girl understood and took out the rosary that she always wore around her neck. "Will you become my petite soeur Touko?" She asked, holding the rosary up.

Nodding, Touko bowed her head to allow the other girl to place the chain around her neck. Yumi gently lowered the rosary and the weight of it settled on Touko. She looked down at her new accessory with tears in her eyes. "Thank you Onee-sama," Touko said, "Thank you."

* * *

**Review, longer reviews keep me focused, so please do. And my guest reviewers, please consider an account so I can respond to your reviews. Eventually I will turn off the guest review thing, so consider it please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This one is short. I was going to do more, but I felt I was rushing the story. So I'm just going to let it do it's thing. This is supposed to be this cute and funny story, occasionally angsty, but not to often. Good news is though, that I already started chapter 10. The shorter the chapters, the more I update, but I know you guys want longer chapters. You'll just have to settle. Not too much happens in this chapter, but it's still cute.**

**Anyway, review please. I'm sorry I haven't been responding to your reviews, but I've still been distracted. I'll try to get back on that this chapter, I promise**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 9**

"I take it she said yes?" I asked Yumi at the beginning of the next week. We were sitting the Rose Mansion by ourselves before school, waiting for the morning meeting. This would be the only meeting this week since Rei-sama and Sachiko-sama are still working on their class projects.

It was originally just Noriko and I sitting in the room, but Yumi and Touko-chan joined us. The spiral haired girl immediately went over to the sink to talk to Noriko while I took in the wistful smile on my girlfriend's face.

"She did," she sighed, a happy spark present in her eyes.

I smiled at my girlfriend, "I'm very happy for you Yumi, of course, you do know that this does make things more difficult for Yoshino-san."

Yumi giggled, "Oh, you know Yoshino-san, she thrives on adversity and difficulty."

We looked over towards the sink when we heard giggling and saw our petite soeurs brushing up against each other, snickering and winking in private messages. "Do you sometimes wonder what they talk about?" I asked.

"Mhm," Yumi hummed, "Maybe they're talking about us?"

"With those two, you never really know."

_"So she asked you?" Noriko asked, glancing back at the older pigtailed brunette before looking at her friend._

_ "She did, well, I asked her to ask me, so really it was a mutual thing," Touko replied, smirking a little, "This provides us with an excellent opportunity."_

_ "What do you mean?" _

_ "Well, she told me stuff before, but now, hopefully Onee-sama will tell me more things about their relationship."_

_ "Ugh," Noriko groaned, "You want to know more? They're already disgustingly cute, and they're together now, doesn't that mean our job is done?"_

_ "You expect them to be able to manage on their own?" Touko asked, incredulous. "They need assistance in maintaining it, both of them are helpless in their own ways."_

_ "What exactly do you think Yumi-sama will tell you?"_

_ Touko shrugged, "I'm not sure, date locations, how things are progressing, fears and stuff. We have to stay on top of this, or all the time we've invested will be ruined."_

_ "You want to follow them around some more don't you?" Noriko asked._

_ "Of course, I don't really call it following though, more like research."_

_ Noriko sputtered at that and started giggling. Touko nudged her in response and started giggling as well. "C'mon, let's get the tea," Touko said, "Before they figure out we're talking about them."_

As soon as they sat the tea down in front of them, the other members of the student council arrived. Yoshino-san's eyes flitted between the occupants of the room and the happy smiles on their faces. "I'm assuming something exciting happened over the weekend," she smirked.

"Why do you say that Yoshino-chan?" Sachiko-sama asked, completely ignorant of the atmosphere in the room.

"Oh, no reason," Yoshino-san replied, staring meaningfully at Yumi and I. She assumed the something exciting that happened was between us. She'll probably be a little surprised, happy and upset when she finds out the truth.

Once the first years had set tea down in front of everyone in the room, Yumi stood up. "Onee-sama, everyone, I would like to formally present Touko as my petite-soeur, as the Rosa Chinensis en bouton petite soeur."

Sachiko-sama, Rei-sama and Yoshino-san looked at the two in shock before breaking out in smiles. "Congratulations Yumi-chan, and you too Touko-chan," Rei-sama said.

Yoshino-san offered similar sentiments, but I could tell from the glint in her eyes that she has realized that she'll be the only second year without a petite soeur. I feel bad for Yumi; Yoshino-san is so going to give it to her later.

I chanced a brief glance at Sachiko-sama and noticed that as usual, she showed no emotion on her face, but for a flicker in her eyes. "I'm proud of you Yumi," she said, looking at her petite-soeur, "And I'm happy for you of course Touko-chan. You'll make an excellent Rose in the future, and it'll be good since you're already such good friends with Noriko-chan."

Touko-chan bowed her head, "Thank you Sachiko-sama." The meeting was completely pointless after that because everyone, and by everyone I mean Yoshino-san, were just too excited about Yumi and Touko-chan becoming soeurs that they spent the rest of the time asking them questions.

The two of them kept quiet about the circumstances about where it happened, but I have a feeling it has something to do with that day trip Touko-chan took Yumi on, though I doubt either of them will ever confirm it. Some things were just too private to be made known to others. The meeting quickly descended into chaos, so Sachiko-sama announced that the meeting was adjourned and that we would resume regular meetings next week.

After the two third years left, Yoshino-san turned around quickly and gave Yumi a glare that could wither flowers. "How could you do this to me Yumi-san?" Yoshino-san said, smacking Yumi on the arm, "Now I'm the only 2nd year without a petite-soeur, do you know what that means? Rei-chan is going to start going, 'isn't it nice that Yumi-chan found a petite-soeur, wouldn't you like to find one?' It's going to be unbearable." She crossed her arms petulantly, still glaring.

Yumi tried to look remorseful but she couldn't stifle the giggles from coming out. "I'm sorry Yoshino-san," she managed to get out without laughing, "But it's not really something I planned, it just happened."

"Mhm," Yoshino-san examined both Yumi and Touko-chan, "Touko-chan here asked you didn't she?"

I chuckled as Yumi sputtered out in disbelief. "You know she's right Yumi," I said, still laughing, "No reason to deny it, she knows you too well."

"Yes Yoshino-sama, I asked her," Touko-chan replied smirking, "It just had to be done, I knew that she would take to long."

"Touko," Yumi whined, "It's not nice to pick on your new Onee-sama."

I continued to laugh and stood up. "We should probably head to class," I said, gathering my things, "Before Yumi's face turns red permanently."

My girlfriend pouted at me cutely for a minute before joining me, grabbing my hand. She leaned over and gave me a quick kiss. "I'm still mad at you for laughing at me," Yumi informed me, breaking the kiss.

"Duly noted," I said, trying to look chastised. I could hear snickering behind me and I looked back at the peanut gallery.

"Don't mind us," Touko-chan said.

"Yeah, continue on like we're not even here," Yoshino-san snickered.

Noriko didn't say anything, just looked out the window, refusing to make eye contact. "Too traumatizing," she whispered.

Yumi and I looked at each other, slight blushes on our faces. "Let's just go to class," I said, pulling Yumi with me to escape the snickering behind us.

* * *

May gave way to June, and Yumi and mine's relationship flourished. I had returned to her house a few times for more study dates since we haven't been able to go out for real. We both decided it was best to save our money for summer vacation so we could spend more quality time together than just half-day dates.

Unfortunately, the dreaded day came when my parents requested that I invite Yumi over to study instead of always going to her house. Externally I smiled and acquiesced with my parents' wishes. Internally, however, I was freaking out, more so than usual where my family is concerned.

"You really don't have to do this," I told Yumi on the train on the way home. It was the middle of June and Yumi had agreed to study at my house to day, much to my dismay.

"Shimako, it's only fair that I meet your parents, I mean, you had to meet mine," Yumi replied, smiling at me nervously.

"But your parents are… normal, while mine are…"

"Still your parents," Yumi finished helpfully, "Look, I should be the nervous one, not you, so why don't you calm down so I have a chance to freak out."

I realized she was right and that I was being silly. "I'm sorry Yumi, I'll calm down. Everything will be alright."

Yumi was silent for a few moments then looked away from me shyly. "Do you think they'll like me?" She asked, tugging at her uniform self-consciously.

"They already do dear; they like you because I like you," I answered her, "Remember, I asked you the same question before I met your parents?"

She smiled at me and nodded, looking back out the train at the passing scenery. Soon the stop came and I was tugging Yumi off the train to the bus terminal to catch the bus up to my family's temple.

"So I've been a little curious," Yumi started once we were on the bus, "Why did you hide the fact that your family owned a Buddhist Temple? I mean, it's not like everyone who attends Lillian is catholic or comes from a catholic home, so why hide your origins?"

I thought for a moment before deciding to answer her. "I guess I was afraid a little, that someone would find out the truth, or I would be a disgrace to my family. I wanted to be a nun for so long, and my family's temple is well known so it would create problems."

"Do you still want to be a nun?"

I shook my head, "No, I guess my father knew me better than I knew myself. He wouldn't disown me when I asked, instead he wanted me to experience life a little more first. I think I've found something I want more than to be a nun." I leaned over a placed a kiss on Yumi's cheek, leaving no doubt as to what I found more appealing than being a nun.

The bus trucked up the hill until I saw the temple in sight. Tugging Yumi's arm, I indicated that it was time to get off and pulled the cord, signaling my stop. Yumi and I got off the bus and trudged up the hill towards the temple. "Wow," Yumi breathed, "This place looks so cool, completely different to where I originally imagined you lived."

"How did you imagine my house?"

"Remember last year, when I didn't really know you that well, around the time when we started hanging out during the school festival? I kind of imagined that you liked western things more, and lived in a western style house with a grand piano."

"Ah," I said, "I do remember that. I was quite surprised then honestly, but by now I understand that how I perceive myself and how other people see me are two different things."

When we got closer to the temple, I could clearly see my father standing outside waiting for us and I groaned. "Welcome, welcome," my father shouted as we came within sight of him.

"Just ignore him please," I whispered to Yumi, completely mortified of his behavior.

Yumi just giggled, adding to my mortification. "Stop it, I think he's nice, and very welcoming."

"Father," I greeted him with a smile, though my teeth were clenched, "This is my girlfriend Fukuzawa Yumi. Yumi, this is my father."

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir," Yumi said, bowing a little to the priest in front of her.

"Oh, nonsense, nonsense," he said, slapping his hand on his head, "call me Ojii-san young lady, hahaha."

"Okay, that's enough," I said, pulling Yumi passed my father, "We'll be down for dinner later Dad."

"Hahahaha, oh Yumi-chan," he called after us, "Just know that you're always welcome here, especially if you want to be an assistant in the temple. You would look cute in the temple's kimono. I'm sure Shimako-chan would enjoy it."

"Just keep walking, just keep walking," I said to myself, feeling my face turn beet red. "Please ignore him," I said to my girlfriend as we walked to my room, "He's not well in the head."

Yumi laughed, "I like him, he's funny."

"Don't encourage him."

"Oh Shimako-chan," I heard my mother call just before we got to my room.

"So close to safety," I muttered, turning around to face my mother.

"Mom, how are you? This is my girlfriend Yumi. We're going to work on our homework for a while. We'll be back out for dinner," I rushed out, trying to nudge Yumi towards my bedroom door.

"Oh nonsense," Mom said, "With how much studying and homework you've been doing at Yumi-chan's house, I'm sure you guys can take a break. Come sit, have tea with me. I got out your baby books."

I let out a squeak, "Mom?!" I heard Yumi snickering next to me. "You're not helping," I hissed at her.

That just caused her to laugh harder. "Oh come on Shimako," Yumi said, "Let's go have tea with your mother and look at pictures."

I groaned as Yumi followed my mother into the sitting room. "Why me?"

* * *

**Review people!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I got to the part that I pictured when I first imagined this story. Short author's note since I don't want to give too much away. But read read, things gonna get heavy, that's probably why I gave you guys a Noriko and Touko scene at the beginning with more of their antics.**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 10**

"Can we ever hangout outside of school without following Onee-sama and Yumi-sama?" Noriko complained as she browsed through a clothing rack, peeking at the older girls across the store.

"We're not following them," Touko protested, "It doesn't count as following if we were here first."

"We only got here first because we took an earlier bus to get here first," Noriko pointed out, "I mean, Yumi-sama didn't even realize she told you that they were going to the mall today to look around at stuff."

"Touko doesn't know what you're talking about Noriko. I'm here looking for some new warmer weather clothing and I wanted my best friend to come with me to aid in the process."

"Touko!" Noriko hissed, "I do not want to get caught again; the last time was bad enough."

"It's like you said, Onee-sama didn't realize that she told me they were coming, and if you actually start looking at clothing with me, we can get pick out some things and actually look like we are shopping!" Touko retorted.

Noriko sighed, and started leafing through the rack of clothing. "Who wear skirts these short?" She said, pulling a tiny mini skirt off the rack.

Touko glanced at it for a minute. "I think I saw something like that in your Onee-sama's closet actually," she said, pulling a blouse off the rack to examine it closer.

"What? Onee-sama owns a mini-skirt?" Noriko yelled, "Wait a minute, when were you in her closet?"

"Chill out Noriko, it was the day we were over there cleaning the entire blasted temple. I decided to do some snooping since we were there anyway, and geez, Shimako-sama has a bit of a wild side."

"I can't believe you went snooping in my Onee-sama's closet," Noriko cried, "And what do you mean wild side?"

Touko just smirked, "Some of the things I found in her closet were very enlightening. I always thought she'd be one of those more conservative types, you know, with her personality and the whole wanting to be a nun thing. I found a lot of sweaters and longer skirts, but I also found a stash of very short clothes that looked like they would be tight as well. They seemed new, so I imagine she purchased them to wear them for a certain someone."

Noriko hastily put the skirt back on the rack and started shaking a little. "So embarrassing, so traumatizing. I mean, I've seen a lot over the last few weeks. The number of times we've caught them making out in various places around the school is astronomical so I'm pretty numb to it by now, but this is too much," she muttered to herself.

"Oh grow up Noriko," Touko said, exasperated, "I was with you every time we walked in on them or found them and I wasn't traumatized."

"That's because you're a cold hearted sadist."

Touko gasped, "There's no need for name calling Noriko, that's not very nice."

Noriko rolled her eyes and glanced back to where their respective older sisters were. "Touko," Noriko gasped, "They're heading this way!"

The other girl's eyes widened, "Okay, don't panic, we'll just casually bump into them. Act natural."

"Why do I let you talk me into these things?"

* * *

"Thanks for coming with me to the mall Shimako," Yumi said as we walked into the large building.

"It's no problem," I told her, "I mean I need to look for some new clothes too; some things aren't fitting right anymore." _And maybe I'll get a free show too… In private, in the dressing room…_

"Yeah, I've been having that same problem," Yumi's voice broke me out of my daze, "My shirts are getting too tight in the chest area and my shorts aren't fitting well in the back."

"Mhm, I think they fit just fine," I replied dreamily. When I realized what I said I snapped out of my daze, "Um, what I meant to say was…"

"It's okay Shimako," Yumi said, taking my hand, "I only wear the tighter ones for you though. In public, however, I'll need clothes that actually fit correctly."

At the thought of other people seeing what I saw the first time I went over to her house, I started dragging Yumi towards the nearest store. "Yes, we mustn't let anyone else see what's mi- I mean, see your unmentionables."

Yumi must've noticed my slip because she giggled a little and followed me into the store. I watched Yumi started flitting around, picking up different items of clothing before she dragged me back to the fitting rooms. "Alright," Yumi started, "You stay here, while I go try on the clothes and you can tell me how they look."

I pouted a little and sat down, waiting for my girlfriend to come out of the fitting room. A few minutes later, Yumi came out and I felt my stomach bottom out and my mouth go dry. She was wearing a denim skirt that, while it covered everything quite well, was still extremely short.

"What do you think?" Yumi asked, spinning to show me the back.

My eyes zeroed in on my girlfriend's backside and I glupped. _She's doing this to me on purpose…_ I thought. "Yeah, it looks great," I squeaked, "Looks like it's a good fit."

"What about the shirt?" Yumi said, turning back around to see me, "Does it look like it fits well?"

I focused on my slightly glazed eyes on Yumi's top, my eyes drawn to her- "Yeah, looks good," I blushed, "Looks like a good size." I looked away quickly and tried to look into Yumi's eyes, but my eyes were continually drawn to… other areas of her body.

Yumi giggled and continued to model more of her clothes for me. I could only hum and mutter approval though since my mind was too foggy and eyes too glazed over to really respond to anything. Finally after a few more minutes the exquisite torture ended, and we left the dressing rooms. Yumi put the clothes that she didn't like on the rack outside of the fitting room to re-hang, and found a checkout counter to pay for the ones she did like.

"So why don't we go to the food court now and get something to eat," Yumi said to me as we left the store.

I turned towards her a smiled. "Sure that sounds great," I started, not really paying attention to where I was going, "Do you know what you want to- hey!" I suddenly bumped into someone and was sent sprawling to the ground.

"Touko, Noriko-chan, what are you two doing here?" I heard Yumi ask above me. I rubbed my head and opened my eyes, seeing my very sheepish looking soeur.

"Just some idle shopping. I needed a few new outfits," Touko-chan responded, helping Noriko to her feet.

My girlfriend gave me a helping hand up and I gave her a quick thank you peck on the lips. I shot a suspicious glare at my petite soeur and her best friend. Noriko weakly lifted the shopping bag in her hand to show me that they were indeed shopping. My suspicions lessened, but didn't disappear completely.

_"Whew, that was a close one," Noriko said as she watched Yumi-sama and her Onee-sama disappear back towards the dressing rooms._

_ "Mhm," Touko said, "Maybe we should blend in better… Oh here, you buy something too!"_

_ "What?!" Noriko whisper cried, "I don't wear clothing like this." She gestured towards the mini skirts they were standing near._

_ "Just suck it up and try it," Touko said, pulling one of the self, "Here, this should be your size. If you don't like it, just bring it back, but I think you'll look cute in it."_

_ Noriko's face reddened lightly. "You think so," she said hesitantly, taking the skirt from Touko's hand._

_ "Would I lie?"_

_ "… Yes…"_

_ "Just buy the damn skirt Noriko."_

"Just shopping hmm, so what did you buy?" I asked my petite soeur suspiciously. They could be following us again and just carrying bags to make it seem like they were shopping. It seems pretty paranoid of me, but Touko-chan and Noriko have been known to exhibit stalker-like behavior. I was extremely surprised when Noriko pulled out a jean mini-skirt from her bag.

"Touko talked me into it," she replied weakly, replacing the skirt in her bag.

"Leave them alone Shimako," Yumi chastised, "Obviously they're here doing the same thing we were doing."

"Probably not exactly the same thing," Touko-chan said, stressing the word 'exactly.'

I blushed and quickly decided to let go of the present line of inquiry and change the conversation. "So what are you two going to do now?" I asked.

Noriko shrugged and glanced over at Touko-chan. "I think Noriko wanted to go to the book store earlier," Touko-chan said, "and I wanted to go to the music store. We were in the middle of decided where to go first when you bumped into us."

"Why don't you guys come to the food court with us?" Yumi said, "We were going to grab some burgers or something; it could be like a double soeur date or something."

Touko-chan linked her arm with my girlfriend. "What a good idea," she replied, before both of them walked off laughing a talking about unknown things.

Noriko and I looked at each other. "Date?!" We said at the same time.

* * *

"So Yumi," I started, "summer vacation is coming up in a few weeks and I was wondering what you were doing?" We were sitting in the Rose Mansion afterschool waiting for the meeting to start. Even though our conversation could be interrupted at any time, my nerves got the better of me so I decided to voice my thoughts before my head exploded.

"Eh, not much," Yumi replied, "We usually go to visit my grandmother for a week during vacation, but other than that, probably be doing homework and catching up on my video games, relaxing stuff, ya know, why?"

I could feel my face heat up a bit and I looked away for a moment anxiously. Tugging at my hair for courage, I turned back to her, "Well, you know, I was wondering if we could do something during break?"

"Something?"

"Something romantic," I clarified, blushing, "We haven't done anything really romantic as a couple since our first official date, and I was wondering if we could."

Yumi blushed a bright red and started to fidget like I was. "What did you have in mind?" She asked me.

"Oh, um, days out, movies, dinneratanicerestaurant…" I said the last one quickly, trying to alleviate the redness in my face.

Yumi blinked, "What was that last one?"

I took a deep breath, "Dinner at a nice restaurant, like a romantic one, mood lighting, music, candles, the works."

"I'd like that," Yumi replied, blushing sheepishly, "to spend more time together as a couple."

I was about to say something else when the rest of the student council, minus Touko-chan as she had club activities, walked into the room. After we all exchanged pleasantries, Sachiko-sama quickly got us all rounding up and working on some mindless paperwork.

After a while, we all started talking about what we were doing for summer break. Noriko and I had agreed that we would go on day trips to support her hobby but also to cater to my desire to spend time with my girlfriend. Yoshino-san revealed that she had (bullied) Rei-sama into taking her to Mt. Fiji. Yumi and Sachiko-sama were arguing about something (something about an amusement park) that I was mildly concerned about but Yoshino-san told me to basically ignore it.

I zoned out of the conversation that my girlfriend was having with her Onee-sama until I heard something I wish I didn't. "Would you like to come to my summer house with me Yumi?" Sachiko-sama asked.

My head snapped up so fast I felt my neck crack. I first at my girlfriend whose mouth was opening and closing like a fish, then I chanced a glance at Sachiko-sama. I saw something in her eyes that I didn't particularly appreciate aimed at my girlfriend, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"What?" Yumi asked, finally gathering her wits about her.

"I asked if you would like to go to the summer house with me. I usually go for a week before student council comes back early to work on events in the fall," Sachiko replied casually. I knew Yumi had to say no, I mean, we had started to plan to spend more time together over break, in a more romantic setting.

"I would love to go!" Yumi answered after a moment, shocking me straight to my soul.

_She wouldn't,_ I thought frantically, _she wouldn't go away with Sachiko-sama when we were planning to spend time together!_ My thoughts were muddled for the rest of the meeting. Once it was over, I told Noriko to leave without me and I waited for Yumi and Sachiko-sama to leave and followed them down the path. When I heard Sachiko-sama ask Yumi if she wanted to invite anyone, I willed her to say she wanted me to come along, but the brunette remained silent. Instead she replied that she wanted the two of them to spend some time together.

I could feel tears forming in my eyes and I turned away. My feet carried me aimlessly through campus and before I knew it, I was staring at my beloved cherry trees. "Shimako?" I started at Yumi's voice behind me. I wiped furiously at the tears flowing down my face, and turned my gaze towards her, anger obviously present in my eyes. "Shimako what's wrong?" Yumi asked, stepping closer to wipe away my tears.

"Don't," I hissed, stepping backwards, "You're getting what you wanted now."

"What?"

"Don't play stupid with me," I yelled, "You're Onee-sama is fawning all over you, basically throwing herself at you, and all you do is encourage her."

"Shimako what are you talking about," I could tell I was scaring the other girl, but I felt such a great pain in my heart that I didn't really care about the pain I was inflicting on the girl/woman that I loved.

"When she invited you to her summer house," I continued to yell at the other girl, "She clearly has other intentions towards you, other plans than just spending time together."

"What do you mean?"

I chuckled darkly, "And the worst part is probably that you're so ignorant of people's true intentions." I turned away from her and stared at the trees in front of me. "It's ironic that this is where it's happening," I whispered, before turning back to Yumi. "I don't think this is working anymore," I sighed.

Yumi reared back like I had slapped her, "Wh-What?"

"You love Sachiko," I whispered, "You told me so yourself, you don't love me, and I can't be in an unequal relationship where my feelings aren't returned to the fullest with which they are given." Tears were streaming down both of our faces at this point, and Yumi's devastated expression probably mirrored my own. "I think we should break up," I whispered into the silence.

* * *

**I was going to mark this as complete to mess with people's heads, but thought that would be so mean of me. Review please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So the extremely aghast reviews I got, and the urgings from you guys to hurry up and post the next chapter made me push this one out extremely fast. Plus, I guess I felt bad about leaving you guys on that cliff hanger. The next chapter will take awhile though since I haven't planned it out and I should work on some of my other stories as well. I hope this will satisfy you guys for a little while at least. Please drop reviews or PM me, I love talking to people and making new friends**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

_Previously_

_"You love Sachiko," I whispered, "You told me so yourself, you don't love me, and I can't be in an unequal relationship where my feelings aren't returned to the fullest with which they are given." Tears were streaming down both of our faces at this point, and Yumi's devastated expression probably mirrored my own. "I think we should break up," I whispered into the silence._

**Chapter 11**

I couldn't look at the crushed looked on Yumi's face anymore and turned away from her, staring harshly at the trees in front of me. I had always loved this place, so many wonderful things happened here. All the times that Yumi and I met up under these trees to spend time together flash through my mind, and now this. _I could come to hate these trees, _I mused.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my arm as I was whirled around forcefully and shoved against a tree. "Wha-" I started but only managed to get half the word out before a pair of lips attacked my own. My mouth was half open when the assault began so I was only half surprised when I felt Yumi's tongue thrusting her way into my mouth to dance with my own.

They entwined in a dance as old as love and time itself. Forward, retreat, give and take. It was almost too much for me, but I sank into the feelings that were being produced. I forgot time and reason. I forgot who I was and all the possibilities of who I could become. I had read stories and watched movies where people had claimed that they lost themselves in a kiss. I had never really understood what that meant until now. My hands snuck up and buried themselves in surprisingly loose, smooth hair. I curled my fingers in the hair and tugged, pulling the person harder against me, pressing my mouth harder against hers. The dance became a duel, a clash of teeth and tongue; to the winner, the spoils of war and the sweet taste of victory. I could feel it rolling on my tongue; I could taste it rolling off of hers.

I felt a burning sensation in my lungs, which reminded me that I was human and that I did indeed need oxygen to continue living, to continue dancing. I broke away from the most intoxicating pair of lips that I've ever known (the only pair, but that's not important) and gulped in much needed breaths of air. I opened my eyes and took in the gir- no, woman, in front of me. Yumi was breathing as hard as I was. Her hair was loosened from her pigtails, her skin flushed and trails of saliva marked her chin.

"You can't just say things like that," Yumi said between breaths, "You can't just decide something like that on your own."

"You did," I said back bitterly, looking away.

Yumi placed both of her hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at her. "I haven't said it before," Yumi said slowly, "and I think that was a mistake, but I'm saying it now. I love you Shimako, not Sachiko-sama. You don't have to worry about your feelings not being returned, not anymore at least." My breath caught in my throat, but I dared not speak, fearing that Yumi would stop talking. "I don't know when it happened," Yumi continued on, oblivious to my own internal thoughts, "I just suddenly started thinking of you all the time, like 'would Shimako like these new ribbons I bought' or 'would Shimako like this rice mom used to fix my lunch.' It wasn't always little things, but you were always there, present in my thoughts like a whisper at the edge of my subconscious." Tears started to form in Yumi's eyes but she adopted a fierce expression on her face, "Don't you dare say that I don't love you when you consume my every thought."

I couldn't take it anymore. I brought my lips to hers again and caught the words she was saying, tasting them with my own tongue and felt them enter my own mouth, swirling in my heart. We broke apart again breathlessly and I looked into Yumi's eyes as I sucked in much needed air. "Do you really love me?" I asked.

"Yes," Yumi replied, "I really do."

We stood staring at each other for a few minutes. "You know, I think I like this disheveled look you have going on, it's quite alluring," I said, breaking the tense atmosphere.

Yumi smiled ruefully, "Do you even remember taking the ribbons out of my hair?"

"What? I didn't do that."

"Really?" Yumi raised an eyebrow and looked at my hands.

I looked where she was looking and saw two forest green satin ribbons twisted around my hands. I felt my face heat up and imagined that I was turning a very interesting shade of red. "Hehe, sorry," I replied sheepishly, giving her ribbons back.

"No you keep them," Yumi said, tying her ribbons in my hair, "That way will remember this day." She paused for a minute as she gathered her thoughts. "Do you know why I agreed to go to Sachiko-sama's summer house?" She asked me.

I gave her a weak smile. "No, not really," I replied honestly, "I wasn't paying close attention to the conversation."

Yumi sighed, "That's and me not communicating my feelings properly is probably why we had this miscommunication. I decided to go because Sachiko-sama mentioned in passing that Touko's family also has a house up there. I remembered a previous conversation with Touko, something about summer vacation being unpleasant to her in the past because of some bullies where her family likes to vacation. I put two and two together, and I didn't like what I found. I decided to go with Sachiko-sama so I can be there for Touko, because you know my petite soeur, she wouldn't ever ask for help."

I blinked and looked away, completely ashamed for doubting her. "That makes way more sense that what I thought," I said, "but I guess I couldn't get the look in Sachiko-sama's eyes when she looked at you out of my mind. Though, I am wondering why you didn't ask her if I could come along?"

"Don't you remember? The week that she's going is the same week that you're planning on visiting different temples and Buddhist sites with Noriko-chan."

"… Oh…" I felt really dumb now, "I'm really sorry Yumi. I guess I started our first fight over nothing."

"It's not entirely your fault," Yumi replied, gently wiping at the tears tracks on my cheek, "I wasn't communicating well enough with you. It seems that I still have that problem with people I really care about."

"Something we'll both have to work on then," I told her, smiling widely. We detangled ourselves from each other (reluctantly). I smoothed down my skirt, which had become ruffled in the… activities, while Yumi tried to straighten out her hair. "So," I started, "You said you were going to Sachiko-sama's summer house the same week that I'm going on day trips with Noriko, so the first week."

"Yeah," Yumi answered, grabbing my hand as we walked down the path, "Mom already told me that we were going to visit my grandmother the second week of vacation. We were going to go the first, but Dad apparently had scheduled meetings months ago for that week."

I nodded my head. We continued down the path and stood for a few minutes waiting for the next bus. "I really am sorry," I said again, "for misunderstanding and jumping to conclusions."

"I know, and I'm sorry to, for not communicating well enough. Let's just not focus on this anymore and move forward."

I shot her a sly grin. "Oh I'm totally okay with moving forward, as long as some of what just happened can happen again," I told her, wiggling my eyebrows a little, "you shoving me against a tree was all kinds of hot." I couldn't really control what was coming out of my mouth. When I realized what I just said, I blushed, my face burning as hot as the sun.

Yumi's face was also a unique crimson color. "I knew you'd be more of a bottom," I heard her murmur.

Before I knew what was happening, I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You can be on top any day," I said, lightly biting her ear. Yumi squeaked and I realized what I just said. Both of our faces were on fire at this point.

"You've really started channeling Sei-sama haven't you?" Yumi asked, trying to break the tension.

I let out a little nervous laugh, "Probably, but is that a bad thing?"

"The jury is still out on that one," she shot back, a teasing smile on her face, "But on a different but similar note, Sei-sama and Youko-sama, just who wears the pants in that relationship?"

"Oh, Youko-sama, most definitely," I replied, "Onee-sama has no chance."

"That was my guess too." We both looked at each other and burst out laughing. The bus arrived and we got on it, sitting side by side, holding hands.

* * *

The last few weeks of term passed quickly and soon summer vacation was starting. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you on this outing?" I asked Yumi over the phone the night before she was scheduled to leave.

_"I'm sure Shimako, I'll be fine. Besides, I've already told Sachiko-sama that it's just me coming, and we're only going to be gone a week. I need to be back next Monday in order to leave for my grandmother's house that afternoon_."

"I know," I sighed, "but I'm still concerned. Are you taking your cell phone with you?" Yumi's parents had recently purchased her a cell phone since she was in her second year of school. That what they told her, but I think it's because we ended up tying up their phone lines for a long time since we talked to each other so frequently.

"_No, Mom wants me to leave it here so I don't lose it. Don't be worried, if something is wrong, I'll find a way to let you know_."

"Are you taking anything to do?" I asked her, steering the conversation away from dangerous waters.

"_That's what I was just wondering about, do you think I should? I mean, I want to be able to spend time with Touko and Onee-sama, going places and stuff."_

"Is Sachiko-sama the type of person to do that?" I asked her, "And besides, this is her family's vacation house, so wouldn't she be used to the area by now if she goes every year."

_"… Good point, I'll take some of my work with me. Not too much though so I wouldn't feel bad if it didn't get finished_."

I smiled, "Why not the book report? Do you have a book picked out?"

"_Eh, not really, I might see if Onee-sama has any good books at her summer house for me to do. It doesn't really matter what book I end up having to read."_

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly, "I mean, the books she has there are probably a bit on the dry side."

_"I don't have any other options now do I?"_

I thought for a moment. "I don't have any better ideas," I conceded.

We were both silent for a few moments before Yumi spoke again. "_You know that I would love to be going on a vacation with you instead right?"_

"Yeah, I know," I said quietly, "Maybe in the future sometime."

I heard her giggle. "_Deal_," she said, "_Well, I better go finish packing. I'll send you a postcard from the summer house."_

"Okay," I replied, "I'll talk to you when you get back?"

"_Yup, and I'm taking my phone with me to my grandmother's house, being out of contact for one week is bad enough, two is unreasonable_."

"I agree," I murmured into the phone, "I agree."

* * *

Halfway through the week, I received the promised postcard from my girlfriend. The first time I looked at it I was just so happy to hear from Yumi, I didn't notice anything unusual about it, but the second time I read the postcard I realized that it didn't sound like her. I picked up the card and read it again:

_Hey Shimako, having a great time. Lots of beautiful trees around,_ (she posted a maple leaf on the card for me) _I can't wait to see you, Love Yumi_.

Suddenly my phone started vibrating on my desk and I saw Yoshino-san's name flash across the screen. "Good day Yoshino-san," I answered politely, "How was Mt. Fuji?"

"It was beautiful," she answered, "But never mind that, did you get a postcard from your girlfriend?"

"Yes, I just got it."

"Do you notice anything odd about it?"

"I noticed that it didn't sound like her," I replied, "It sounded a bit more demure than what I'm used to."

"That's what I thought too, did you notice the address on the card?"

I picked up the card and looked at it again, sure enough there was an address on the bottom of the card. "Yeah, I just saw it, what about it?"

"It's the address for Sachiko-sama's summer house. I think that's Touko-chan's handwriting, something's up."

My heart started to beat harder in my chest, "What do you think it could be?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it would be a good idea if we took a trip up there. Rei-chan said we could go up the day after tomorrow. You up for a road trip?"

"On Saturday, to see Yumi? Of course, I'll call Noriko and see if she can come," I said, excited.

Yoshino-san and I talked for a few more minutes, taking about our summers so far and what else we were doing. I may have been talking to Yoshino-san, but my mind was on the pig-tailed brunette that we were planning to see. I wondered what could be wrong that Touko-chan would summoning us to Sachiko-sama's summer house in such a covert way.

* * *

"I don't think this is Sachiko's summer house," Rei-sama said as we stood in front of the house indicated on the address.

"No, it's Touko's," Noriko-said, "Look at the name." We looked to where she was pointing and saw Touko-chan's last name written on the wall.

"Why would Touko-chan write her address on the postcards?" I asked bewildered. I had been anticipating seeing Yumi and now I wondered if I would get to see her at all.

"Well let's stop standing here staring, let's go ask her," Yoshino-san said, marching up to the door.

We followed her up and waited after she rang the doorbell. Touko-chan opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief. "I had wondered if you guys would take the hint and come," she said, exasperated, "What took you so long?"

"So you did want us to come?" Rei-sama asked.

"Well Touko wouldn't have put her address on the card if she didn't want you guys to come," the younger girl retorted, slipping back into third person like she was prone to do her emotions got away from her.

"Why, what's going on?" I asked her, concerned for Yumi.

Touko-chan disappeared back in the house for a minute and then came out wearing shoes. "Come one, follow me, Sachiko-sama's house isn't too far from here."

"Why did you get us to come here Touko-chan?" Yoshino-san asked directly.

"That's a bit complicated," Touko-chan sighed, "Onee-sama has been having a hard time. The other girls that stay here in the summer are daughters of rich people, but not as rich as the Ogasawaras. They're jealous of Sachiko-sama's family, but they can't really do anything against Sachiko-sama so they're giving Onee-sama a hard time."

"What do you mean hard time?" I asked suspiciously, ready to tear apart anyone who hurt my girlfriend.

"Just petty stuff," Touko-chan answered, "Bothering her at Sachiko-sama's house, lying to her about things, talking about her when she's not around. They feel that she's not as good as they are since her family isn't as wealthy as theirs. They don't feel that she isn't worthy to be Sachiko-sama's little sister. These girls used to give me a hard time too and since Yumi-sama is my Onee-sama that seems to have just painted a bigger target on her. I thought maybe it would protect her a little more, but I guess not."

"So why are we here?" Rei-sama asked, "What can we do?"

"Well, at the very least you can make Yumi-sama feel better, but I'm hoping that you can talk Sachiko-sama out of going to the party tonight."

"Party?" Noriko questioned.

"It's being hosted by the family of one of the girls who has been hard on Onee-sama. I think it's a birthday party for her great grandmother, but I'm not positive," Touko-chan said, "Sachiko-sama is determined to go, and you know Yumi-sama, doesn't want to let anyone down. It's almost irritating how unconcerned about herself she can be."

We arrived at Sachiko-sama's summer home and Touko-chan showed us in like she lived there. "I'm a frequent guest," was her explanation for disregarding normal etiquette.

"Touko-chan wha…" Yumi started when she came down the stairs but she stopped short when she saw us. "Shimako, everyone, what are you doing here?"

I was about to answer her when Sachiko-sama walked up. She greeted us and we all went to sit at what I assumed to be the dinning room table. We all talked about what we had done so far during summer break. Yoshino-san and Rei-sama recounted their journey up Mt. Fujji and the interesting people that were traveling up as well.

I glanced at Yumi occasionally from across the table, searching for any signs of the distress that Touko-chan indicated. Sachiko-sama told us about the part tonight at the actions of the girls trying to discredit and embarrass Yumi. Rei-sama tried to talk Sachiko-sama into coming back to Tokyo with us that night instead of going to the party, but, of course, an Ogasawara never runs away.

Just as we were getting ready to leave, I caught Yumi's eyes and the slight bit of hesitation and fear in them made me stop short. "Excuse me Sachiko-sama," I said to the older girl, "Would it be possible if I could stay here until you travel back to Tokyo on Monday?" I could tell I surprised everyone with my question, my girlfriend most of all. "My father is having a series of meetings at the temple tomorrow so I was going to go somewhere tomorrow anyway. The grounds around here are lovely, so if you wouldn't mind, I would like to explore around here for awhile."

Sachiko-sama blinked then gave me a polite smile, "Of course you can stay Shimako, my friends are always welcome here, but what would you do for clothes? It doesn't look like you brought any with you."

"She can borrow some of mine," Yumi jumped in quickly, "I brought several extra pairs of clothes just in case. She can stay in my room as well, the bed is big enough."

I saw something flicker across Sachiko-sama's eyes, something that resembled irritation and jealous, but it was gone before I could ponder on it further. "Of course you can stay Shimako, if Yumi is fine with sharing her clothes and her room."

The others left soon after and Yumi led me up to her room. As soon as the door was shut, her lips were on mine and her tongue was in my mouth. "Why did you decide to stay?" She asked once the kiss broke.

"I couldn't leave you here to suffer through the party alone now could I?" I replied, running my hands up and down her arms.

Yumi looked delightfully puzzled, "But you can't exactly come to the party, you don't have an invite…"

"I know," I shushed her, "But I can be here for you when you get back, and I have faith that whatever those harpies throw at you, you'll be able to handle it." I leaned in for another kiss, but a knock on the door stopped me.

I stepped away and sat on the bed while Yumi opened the door. Sachiko-sama was on the other side. "Yumi," she said, "We have to start getting ready for the party." The raven-haired heiress then turned to me, "I'm sorry Shimako, I would love for you to be able to come but…"

"But I haven't been invited," I finished, "it's alright, I can occupy myself here. Besides, I wouldn't have anything to wear anyway."

Sachiko-sama nodded her head and left, retreating back down the hallway. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I asked Yumi when I turned back to her.

"With you here waiting for me when I get back? How can I not be?"

* * *

"Wow, you really stood up in front of everyone and did that?" I asked Yumi that night when we were getting ready for bed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Touko almost had a heart attack, and Onee-sama was surprised as well. She said she thought I was going to dance or something."

"Ah," my memory clicked, "Your party performance from the party for the Roses, that would have gone over well."

"Mou, Shimako," Yumi playfully pushed me and we both giggled. The giggling stopped and we eyed each other and the large bed pushed against the wall.

"So…" I started, "How are we going to do this?"

Yumi rolled her eyes, "We're going to get in bed and go to sleep, simple as that."

"But it's our first sleep over, our first time sleeping together." I realized what I just said and blushed. I glanced over at Yumi and noticed that she turned a deep red color as well.

Yumi cleared her throat and crawled into bed first, snuggling against the pillow that was braced against the wall. I flipped the light off and got into bed as well. Every nerve ending in my body was focused on the warm body next to mine, and the intoxicating scent that was purely 'Yumi:' strawberry shampoo and clean laundry. "So what are we going to do tomorrow?" I asked, trying to ease my mind and float off to sleep.

"Mhm," Yumi murmured sleepily, "I told Onee-sama that I just wanted to lay around all day and do nothing. Maybe you and I can look around in the woods nearby the house so we don't get lost. You know, just spend some quiet time together."

"That sounds wonderful," I murmured back quietly. We both laid quietly for a few moments before I spoke again, "You know, I think Sachiko-sama was jealous when you said that I could share your room with you."

"Really? Well, when we first got here she did ask if I wanted to share a room with her. I said no of course."

I chuckled and searched out her hand with my own, grasping it and holding it close. "She probably thought that this was her chance," I said, "to bad I've got an extremely loyal and fast thinking girlfriend."

"I love you Shimako," Yumi said, squeezing my hand, "don't forget that. I feel like Onee-sama will cause more trouble in the future. I don't think that I could take it if you were hurt again because of a misunderstanding."

I squeezed her hand back in response, indicating that I understood. "I know Yumi," I murmured, "I love you too, and I won't forget, I promise."

* * *

**Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I needed that break from this story, whew, a month, it was good for me though. Time to recharge and stuff. Anyway, I don't like this chapter, truthfully I was going to do a different one, I was going to skip that extra day they had at the summer house all together, but some people asked what was going to happen, so I scribble out this mess. Yumi apparently is a closeted bad girl, I did not know this until this chapter, so I guess that was good to know. Also, Sachiko is going to find out about them much sooner than I anticipated, though not right away, further down the line a little bit.**

**This chapter also delves back into Sachiko's mind... Twice, gah, it was horrible, and a very dark scary place**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 12**

Sachiko pressed her ear against the door where her petite-soeur and her petite soeur's best friend were staying. She could hear giggling and quiet murmurs through the door, but not what was being said. She gritted her teeth in annoyance and walked back to her room.

"Why wouldn't she want to share a room with me? Me, her Onee-sama?" She muttered, pacing around her room. "Why would she want to share a room with Shimako over me?"

She stopped pacing when another thought crossed her mind. "Maybe she was nervous," Sachiko thought out loud, "Yes, that must be it; she's always placed me on a pedestal in order to worship me properly, so it must make her nervous to be so close."

Sachiko smirked a little at that, "Ah yes that is it. She's nervous to be so close to my beauty and grace. Shimako is her best friend, so she must feel more comfortable sharing a room with her instead of me."

The raven-haired girl laid back on her bed and took a picture of the pigtailed girl out from underneath her pillow. She stroked the picture tenderly, gazing at the girl with possessiveness and lust in her eyes. "Ah, my Yumi," she murmured, "Soon you'll be comfortable enough with me that you won't fear touching me." She put the picture back under the pillow and got comfortable, thinking about the brunette the entire time.

"So young, so innocent," she sighed, thinking of the younger girl fondly, "I'll have to teach her a guide her in the ways of love and romantic relationships. I'll have to go slowly though in order not to traumatize her. Slowly get her accustomed to me, and me being more affectionate towards her."

For a moment, the thought of Yumi rejecting her advances crossed her mind. "That's silly," she waved the thought away, "Yumi rejecting me? That's ridiculous. Never could happen."

She turned on her side away from the door and took the picture out once more. "Oh yes, you'll be mine," Sachiko murmured, falling asleep holding the picture.

* * *

I slowly started to awaken from a deep sleep and I groaned, snuggling back down into my pillow. It was warm and smelled good so I was hesitant to get up and start the day. My father would probably have chores for me to do, and my bed was just too comfortable to get out and greet visitors and clean up.

My pillow shifted a little and I mewled in protest, snuggling in further to keep it from wiggling away. It started to shake a little and I groaned, trying to hold onto the last vestiges of sleep. My nice and soft pillow settled down and I sighed. I heard and rumbling noise beneath my ear and murmured, "Be quiet…"

Suddenly, I stopped snuggling as a horrible thought crossed my mind. _My pillow doesn't rumble,_ I thought, _nor does it move._ As the events of the day before flittered through my mind, my eyes snapped open and I confirmed my fears. I was laying on top of Yumi and my head was snuggled into her chest. I slowly raised my head and confirmed my second fear. Yumi was awake and she was laughing at me. She was blushing of course, but still laughing.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked sheepishly.

"Oh, a while," she replied, grinning, "I woke up feeling this weight pressing on me. Did you know you snore, and drool a little in your sleep?"

I sat upright and quickly scrambled off my girlfriend, wiping my mouth in the process. I grimaced at the little bit of moisture I found there and the small wet spot on Yumi's shirt. "I am so sorry," I said hastily, "I didn't disturb you did I? I hope I didn't do that all night."

Yumi giggled, "It's okay Shimako, really. You didn't wake me up or anything. I only noticed when I woke up this morning, and it didn't seem like you were doing it for long. Though I didn't notice when you decided to crawl on top of me."

"I've always been a bit of a snuggler," I replied weakly, "I usually have a pillow or something to snuggle with though, I guess I just used you."

Yumi chuckled again and sat up. She grabbed my face with both of her hands and brought it towards hers, kissing me softly on the lips. "You can use me to snuggle with anytime, as long as I can use you to snuggle with too."

I grinned stupidly and kissed her again. "Deal," I said, breaking the kiss.

The brunette playful pushed me off the bed and got up herself. "We need to get up, breakfast is probably ready. Sachiko-sama probably won't be up for a while. She only got up for breakfast this week when I woke her up anyway, so she probably won't be up until later this morning."

"What time is it?" I asked, looking around for a clock.

Yumi picked up her watch from the bedside table. "A little before 7," she replied, "Do you want to use the bathroom first? I can pull out some clothes for you to wear while you're brushing your teeth."

"Yeah that's fine," I answered, "Oh wait, I didn't bring a toothbrush… Or anything really, this was kind of a spur of the moment decision."

"I figured it was," Yumi said, giving me a small smile, "There are extra toothbrushes and soap under the bathroom counter for situations like this one."

I excused myself to the bathroom and located supplies under the counter that I could use. Once I finished my normal morning ritual, I walked back to Yumi's room and opened the door without thinking about it.

Yumi squeaked and held a shirt to her torso covering her bare chest, her face bright red. I just gaped at my half naked girlfriend, seeing but not really registering anything. "Uuuhhhhh," I sputtered, my face getting hotter every minute.

"Could you shut the door Shimako?" Yumi asked, blushing and smirking all at once.

I nodded my head stupidly, and shut the door, not entering the room. I leaned my forehead against the door and just stared wide eyed at the wood patterns. Yumi hadn't moved fast enough to cover herself to keep me from getting a small glimpse. _They were so white and smooth,_ I thought to myself, _I wonder what they would feel like in my hand, under my tong-_ I quickly stopped that thought and shook my head.

Suddenly the door opened in front of me and I found myself gazing at what was occupying my thoughts. If it were possible, my face reddened further and I looked up, meeting Yumi's gaze. She was blushing slightly, but still smirking. _Must've been taking lessons with Touko-chan,_ I thought. "Sorry," I squeaked out quickly, "I should've knocked."

Yumi giggled and leaned in to kiss me softly. "When I said shut the door," she whispered in my ear, "I didn't mean you had to be on the other side." With that the brunette skipped playfully off to the bathroom.

I just stared dumbfounded after her and ended up standing stupidly in the doorway of our room for a good few minutes before sense reentered my mind and I entered the room and shut the door to change. I quickly pulled off my clothes and pulled on the ones that Yumi had laid out for me. I blushed when I picked up the panties that she left. Underwear can tell a lot about the person. Where I prefer boi shorts, Yumi apparently enjoyed bikinis better. While I realized that there were skimpier panties than bikinis, I still wonder if the small piece of fabric could even be considered clothing. I shook my head when I realized I was thinking about Yumi's underwear. "I really am starting to channel Onee-sama," I muttered, quickly getting dressed so I don't take much more time than I already have.

When I arrived downstairs, Yumi was already sitting at the table for breakfast. She smirked coyly when she saw my red and flustered face like she knew what I had been doing. I sat down next to her and started putting some of the different foods on my plate. "I decided it wouldn't be appropriate to pack any of my thongs," Yumi murmured in my ear and I squeaked again, dropping my fork. "Are you all right Shimako?" She asked at a normal level, "Your face is very red, that can't be very healthy."

"You're doing this on purpose," I accused her, pouting slightly.

"I might have missed you more than I thought I would this week," she returned shyly.

I couldn't stay irritated at that so I smiled forgivingly. "Just make sure that Sachiko-sama or the housekeeper doesn't hear you," I said, returning to my breakfast.

After we finished breakfast, Yumi pulled me outside to show me some of the trees around the house. "Would you tell Onee-sama where we've gone when she wakes up?" She asked the housekeeper.

"Of course Yumi-sama, Shimako-sama, have a good walk. I'm sure you know your way around well enough by now Yumi-sama," the older woman said with a smile.

"Yes," Yumi nodded, "Thank you."

We walked outside and Yumi started showing me the trees around the property and the various flowers. We stayed out there for a few hours, talking and catching up about everything that has happened this last week. I told Yumi about my visits with Noriko to other Buddhist temples and shrines and my girlfriend filled me in on everything that she had done while at the summerhouse.

Time slipped away from us. I had Yumi pinned against a tree and was reacquainting myself with her lips and tongue when I heard someone call out Yumi's now. I broke the embrace and took a step away from Yumi, licking the remnants of her lip-gloss from my lips.

"Sachiko-sama is coming," I said as an explanation when the brunette looked at me curiously.

"What?" She cried, "Do I look okay? I don't look like I've been making out in the forest do I?"

I ran my eyes over her figure, taking in her flushed face, tangled hair and smudged lip-gloss along with the bits of bark on her clothes. "No you look good," I squeaked as I watched her wipe some of my saliva off from around her mouth with her tongue.

I was half of a decision from leaning back in and capturing that tongue in my mouth again when she pushed me away from her. "I don't know why I bother putting my hair up in pigtails anymore," Yumi sighed, pulling the ribbons out of her hair, "You always end up running your hands through my hair."

She started to clean off her clothes and straighten her hair a little while we walked out of the forest and I laughed. "What can I say?" I said, "I like the feeling of your hair slipping in between my fingers, and don't say you don't like the same, my hair feels pretty messy as well."

"I wasn't complaining," Yumi said hurriedly, "I'm just stating an observation that I don't know why I bother anymore."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards me before we walked into sight of the house. I took her face in my hands and lightly kissed her lips. "I love your hair anyway you decide to style it." I murmured, "I mean, it wasn't your pigtails that attracted me to you to begin with."

I could tell Yumi was going to say something in response, but Sachiko-sama yelled out for her again, "Yumi!"

The brunette sighed, "We better get back before she decides to come here looking for us."

I sighed as well, "We probably should. Let's go spend the day with the dragon lady."

Yumi smacked me on the arm. "Shimako," she scolded, "That's not nice."

"Tell me it's not true." When she remained silent I smirked victoriously. "That's what I thought."

She rolled her eyes at me, "Let's just go."

I stifled a laugh as we walked back towards the house.

* * *

Sachiko growled in frustration as she paced in her room later that night. "When she said that she just wanted to lay around and relax today, I didn't know that she included Shimako in that plan as well," the raven-haired heiress seethed. Sachiko had a plan for how the day was going to turn out, which would have hopefully ended with Yumi in her bed.

None of it worked out though. She had planned that Yumi would wake her up for breakfast again this morning like she had all week, and she was going to start undressing in front of her again, like she did on the first day they were at the house.

She thought about maybe dropping her top a little more, but had decided to wait until the moment was on her. Imagine her surprise when she woke up on her own at 10:00…

_Flashback_

_ When I finally got dressed and managed to get downstairs, I went out in search of her housekeeper. "Why didn't Yumi wake me up?" I asked the older woman when she found her._

_ "Yumi-sama said you should sleep in since you had a late night," the woman replied, "She and Shimako-sama went out back to explore the woods."_

_ "By themselves?" I asked worriedly, but also kind of hopeful. It would be dreadful if they had gotten lost, but it would give me a chance to swoop in and save them, making myself a hero in Yumi's eyes._

"_Yes but Sachiko-oujo-sama, Yumi-sama has explored the woods nearby with you these past few days, she'll be fine and I don't think they went very far."_

_ "Still," I said, "I'll go out and call for them to see if they're around or if I need to go out and find them." I walked out on the back porch and yelled out for Yumi. When she didn't respond, I yelled for her again. I was just getting ready to go out in the woods after them when the two second years stepped out of the forest into view._

_ "Yumi what happened to your hair?" I asked when I saw that it wasn't up in the customary pigtails that I loved so much._

_ "What? Oh, nothing, just got caught in a tree branch that's all. Pulled out my ribbons so I decided to leave it down," she replied, blushing._

_ "Oh, well, you should put it back up, you look adorable with your hair up," I said offhandedly, "Anyway, I came out here looking for you, why didn't you wake me up?"_

_ "We had such a late night so I thought you deserved to sleep in a little, plus I've been waking you up early every day this week. It's the last day here, so I let you sleep," my petite soeur told me._

_ "I was hoping to eat breakfast with you," I pouted a little._

_ "Well, lunch is in another two hours, we can have lunch together. Shimako-san and I were just going to lay around in the backyard until then… And then probably after lunch as well."_

_ "Oh, I didn't know Shimako was going to be joining us as well," I said innocently, trying not to hint at the irritation that was brewing in me._

_ Shimako just smiled sweetly at me, "Yumi-san told me what you have decided on to do, and I realized that I needed some relaxing time as well. Running around last week going to different Buddhist shrines really wore me out."_

_ "I just thought you might want to see more of the town while you were here," I said, desperately trying to get rid of the third wheel in between me and my soon to be girlfriend/lover/mistress._

_ "I wouldn't want to go without either of you, that wouldn't be very fun," she replied._

_ My eyebrow started to twitch a little and I forced out a smile. "That sounds nice, if you'll excuse me I'm going to eat something light to tide me over until lunch. I'll bring some blankets back out if you want to wait out here on the porch."_

_ Yumi and Shimako nodded. "That sounds great, thanks Onee-sama," Yumi said._

_ I walked stiffly back into the house and sighed. "This is not going how I planned at all…"_

_End Flashback_

"Every time I turned around to spend time with Yumi or get closer to her, Shimako was there," Sachiko hissed out in frustration, "Something is very odd about what is going on between those two."

She paused in her pacing, "Shimako wouldn't be trying to… seduce Yumi herself would she?" The thought that Yumi would fall for someone else never crossed her mind, "I'll have to keep a closer eye on them, something is definitely going on."

* * *

"So I had a lot of fun today," Yumi said that night as we were getting ready for bed.

"I did too," I told her, smiling at her, "It was nice just to sit around and relax for once."

"That was nice too, but it wasn't what I was talking about," the brunette winked suggestively at me.

I blushed hotly remembering our make-out session in the woods. "Y-yes, that was also nice," I stuttered.

"Just nice?"

I could tell that Yumi was teasing me, so I decided that two could play this game. I sauntered up to her and slowly pressed her back into the wall behind her. I pressed my lips against hers, immediately sliding my tongue between her lips. After a few minutes, I broke the kiss, leaning back gasping. "It was so nice, I decided to have an encore performance," I said, returning her wink.

Yumi rolled her eyes, and pushed me off of her. "Time for bed Casanova," she muttered, climbing into the double bed.

I laughed a little and followed her, turning off the light before I climbed in though.

"Shimako," Yumi started hesitantly.

"Mhm," I hummed, settling into my side of the bed.

"You said earlier that it wasn't my hair that attracted you to me, so I'm kind of wondering what did attract you to begin with."

I should say that I was surprised at her question, but really I wasn't. Honestly, I'd been expecting it for a while. "At first," I started out hesitantly, "I thought you were nice and cute. I would watch you discreetly when I could, and I loved the faces that you made during class when you were concentrating or working on something difficult. As I got to know you, I realized that you were more than just cute, you were beautiful, inside and out. After that, I fell hard and fast."

"You really think I'm beautiful?" Yumi asked after a moment.

I snorted, "Have you looked at yourself? You're growing into a beautiful woman. I'm just glad I got you before other people started to notice or I'd have a fight on my hands."

The brunette laughed quietly, "If you say so."

"Since we're on the subject," I said, "What attracted you to me? Besides my obvious skill at seduction."

I heard Yumi chuckled lightly. "You might find this hard to believe," she said, "But looking back now, I think I've always been watching you somehow, looking at you, admiring you, wishing I could be like you. After you told me how you felt, I started to notice other things, like how beautiful you were, and how you acted, especially around me. I was flattered really, that someone as beautiful and mature as you could love me."

I wasn't sure what to say at that, so silence hung between. "Hey Yumi," I started after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

"We haven't really been on an actually date since we got together have we, like a real one?" I asked.

"… No, I don't think so, why?"

I turned towards her and leaned up on my elbow over her. "I want to take you out on a date, like dinner in a good restaurant, maybe a movie, something like that," I told her, finding her face in the darkness of the room.

"You don't have to do that Shimako," she replied, taking my hand and squeezing it.

I brushed the hair out of her face and leaned down to kiss her again. "You deserve a real date, we deserve it."

"Alright, when?"

"Week after next, when you get back from your grandmother's house."

"It's a date then," Yumi agreed, kissing me lightly.

"It's a date."

* * *

**Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: It is as you all have feared... I have writer's block... It was a struggle to get this chapter out. I made it longer to make up for having you guys wait so long, and I'm really sorry about that. I'm moving next week so I have no idea when the next chapter will be out. It's really annoying too cuz I was doing so good for a while on all of my stories, I was writing, I was in my groove, then wham... I hit a wall... I think I know what the problem is, first person POV is usually my downfall for things, but it makes things more interesting. Usually I would write a One Shot to fix this stupid writer's block, but no such luck on that end either.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter and please please review, I'm really sorry about the wait. Encouragement might make me feel better.**

* * *

Title: Something About Red Roses

Pairing: ShimakoxYumi

POV: Shimako 1st, other scenes 3rd person

**Chapter 13**

"I asked her out on another date Noriko," I groaned, clutching my cell phone with one hand while the other was placed over my eyes. I was lying on my bed talking to my petite soeur over the phone; I called her as soon as I got home from Sachiko-sama's summerhouse. "But what makes it worse is that I asked her out for a 'romantic' date… What was I thinking? I shouldn't be left completely unsupervised with my girlfriend, I make poor decisions."

_"Onee-sama, you have to calm down,"_ Noriko's calm voice flitted through the phone, "_You've been on dates wit Yumi-sama before and it hasn't been a problem, what's wrong now?"_

"What's wrong? Those dates were, you know, normal and non-stressful. The arcade, the botanical garden, study dates, all very normal and not stressful, but this is a romantic date, dinner, candlelight, flowers etc etc. In other words, extremely stressful, especially since I have to plan it! I don't know where to take her, what to do, anything at all!"

"_Shimako-san_!" Noriko yelled over the phone, "_Stop freaking out, you have what? Over a week to plan this right?"_

"Yeah," I replied meekly, "Yumi's visiting her grandmother this week. We weren't going out until next week sometime. I'll have to call her and see what day would be good for her."

_"Alright, well, you call her at some point and I'll come over and help you plan and everything, help you pick out what you're going to wear and all that."_

"Thanks Noriko, I owe you one. Why are you so willing to help me anyway? I thought you were trying to stay out of this?"

I heard Noriko sigh on the other end, _"You mean other than Touko would kill me if I continued to let you wobble about unsupervised without any help? I love you and I love Yumi-sama, I want the both of you to be happy. Plus I noticed some things about Sachiko-sama when we were visiting her at her summerhouse and I don't want you to mess this relationship up."_

"Why do you assume it would be me to mess it up?"

_"Just taking precautions. I don't think you would mess it up, with how long you've waited and how much you love Yumi-sama, but sometimes things happen."_

"Yeah I guess so," I said back, "And what do you mean you noticed some things about Sachiko-sama, what sort of things?"

"_The girl is crazy._" I had to hold back a chuckle at that. I never would've guessed that Noriko would refer to Rosa Chinensis as crazy. "_There's just something in her eyes that doesn't seem right to me."_

"Like she's lost a few marbles along the way?"

"_More like all of the money and entitlement she's had her entire life has gone to her head. You have to make sure to stay on your game when you're around her. Keep her from finding out about you dating Yumi-sama, or keep her from taking Yumi-sama away from you_."

I stopped breathing for a moment. "You really think she'd do that?" I asked when I found my voice again.

"_I'm saying she's unpredictable at this moment in time_," Noriko answered me, "_She's basically a princess who has received everything she has ever wanted, and you are currently in the way of the one thing she wants at this particular moment_."

"Oh Maria-sama," I muttered in horror, "I'm in big trouble aren't I?"

"_Yup…"_

* * *

"She asked me out on a real date Touko, can you believe it?" Yumi squealed over the phone to her petite soeur. The brunette had just gotten off the phone with her girlfriend who had called her to confirm a time for their date once she got home from her grandmother's house.

"_Like a real real date, like dinner and a movie type of date?"_ Touko asked.

"I think it just might be dinner, but yeah, a real date, like a nice restaurant type of date."

"_That's great Onee-sama_," Touko replied, _"I was worried that things would be a little shaky with you guys since she stayed with you at the summerhouse for that one day, but everything turned out okay?"_

Yumi coughed and blushed a bright red. "No, no, we had a good time," she said, a slight squeak in her voice.

She could practically hear Touko smirking over the phone when the younger girl started laughing. "_Why does that sound like something interesting happened while you were there basically without supervision. We both know that Sachiko-sama is pretty much useless in the mornings, so that would've given you and Shimako-sama a few hours to yourselves. Did something happen?_"

"Anyway," Yumi said, trying to steer the conversation away from that particular line of inquiry, "I was wondering if you could come home with me one day next week to help me pick out an appropriate outfit or go shopping for a new one or something."

"_Of course I'll help, can't have you looking out of place on you're date. Do you know where she's taking you yet?"_

"No, Shimako hasn't told me yet. She probably hasn't decided; you know what she's like, she most likely has a list of like 10 or 15 places and she's going to investigate each one before she decides."

Yumi heard Touko's laughter on the other side of the phone again. "_That is what she's like, you should've seen her after you agreed to go out with her on that first date you guys had before you became a couple. I thought she was going to get an aneurism. It was so funny, Noriko was traumatized that her Onee-sama could ever act such a way._"

"I can imagine," the brunette whispered fondly, twirling her loose hair around one of her fingers. "It must've been really hard for her at the beginning, watching me pine over someone else."

"_It was kind of heartbreaking, and I only knew her for about a month before everything came to a head. I can't imagine what she was like last year."_

Yumi frowned, "Gee, thanks for that, that makes me feel so much better. I can't believe I didn't notice how she felt."

"_I can."_

"What do you mean?"

"_You're not very observant Yumi-sama, you really should pay better attention to the people around you."_

"So I've heard," Yumi replied. She was about to say something else, but she heard her mother's voice calling her from downstairs. "Oh, hey Touko I have to go, my mom is calling, I'll see you next week?"

"_Yeah, back to student council meetings… Yay…"_

Yumi giggled, "Touko, be nice. I'll talk to you later."

"_Later, Onee-sama."_

Yumi hung up the phone and just laid on her bed for a moment, thinking about her date with her girlfriend next week. She was both nervous and excited at the same time: excited to be spending a romantic evening with her girlfriend, but nervous to be spending a romantic evening with her girlfriend.

"I can't wait," she squealed to herself, hugging one of her pillows and looking at a picture of her and Shimako that Tsutako had given to her.

"Yumi!" Her mother called again.

"Coming!" She replied. Yumi fondly placed the picture back underneath her pillow where it usually stayed and raced down the stairs to find her mother.

* * *

"Hi Obaa-sama," Touko greeted Noriko's aunt as she opened the door, "Is Noriko up yet?"

"Good morning Touko-chan," the older woman smiled at the young girl, "No, Noriko-chan isn't up yet, but you can go on up. Sometimes she deserves a good scare in the morning."

"Oh I agree Obaa-sama, she can be quite an insufferable swot sometimes can't she?" Touko replied, "That attitude of hers, I mean really."

Noriko's aunt laughed, "You're both insufferable. Now go on, help yourself to whatever you can find in the kitchen if you get hungry, and tell Noriko-chan that I'm going out for a while and will be back later. That'll give you two some time for your scheming."

Touko put a hand to her chest in mock outrage. "Obaa-sama," she gasped, "We do not scheme, we plot; there's a difference."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Sure," she drawled out, "I'll see you later Touko-chan."

"Bye Obaa-sama," the curly haired girl called after her as she walked out the door.

Touko started up the stairs towards Noriko's room, taking them two at a time. "Noriko!" She yelled, bursting into the room.

"Aaaah!" Noriko screamed, bolting upright, holding her sheet to her chest. "What are you doing here?" She gasped, staring at her pigtailed best friend.

The other girl rolled her eyes. "Look, we need to start planning," Touko said, sitting down on the end of Noriko's bed, "And it's time for you to get up anyway."

"What? No it's only…" Noriko started, turning to look at her alarm clock. Her eyes widened when she saw the time. "Wow, 10 o'clock," she finished, "Oh well, for summer break that's pretty good for me."

"Well not for me," Touko said, yanking the covers off of Noriko, "Now get up, get dressed and get downstairs. If you're fast I might just make you breakfast."

"Touko!" Noriko half squeaked, half yelled, "You can't just burst into people's rooms and pull their covers off. I am in my pajamas!"

The pigtailed girl let her eyes wander over her friend taking in her current state of dress. "Yes I can see that," she murmured to herself, letting her eyes settle briefly on her tank-top covered chest that gave away the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra. She shook the bizarre thoughts out of her head and smirked when she saw her friend's pajama pants. "Nice pants," she grinned, staring at the pink 'Hello Kitty' print pants.

Noriko looked down at her own pants in confusion, and squeaked when she realized what she had on. "Touko!" She screeched out again.

"Get dressed and come down for breakfast," Touko sang as she skipped out of the room.

The dark haired girl stared after her friend in disbelief. "She must be on drugs…" She sighed, getting out of bed.

About 15 minutes later, Noriko walked down stairs, freshly washed and scrubbed, but still wearing her pajamas. "What did I tell you about getting dressed?" Touko asked when she saw her friend. She placed two pieces of toast on different plates, and slid two fried eggs out of the skillet on top of them.

"Look, Touko," Noriko started in on her friend, "As much as I love to see you and appreciate you making breakfast, this is my summer vacation, and I intend to spend it the way I spend most of my summer vacations, in my pajamas, chilling out, or watching T.V."

Touko stood there staring at her friend, gaping like a fish, before stomping her foot and plopping the food down on the table. "But we have work to do! We have to help Yumi-sama and Shimako-sama with their date, make sure they have the right clothes to wear, and where they're going. We also have to find out where they're going actually, so that we can get reservations too so we can keep an eye on them."

"Stop," Noriko ordered after taking a healthy sip of her coffee that her aunt left out for her, "We should let them go on this date on their own, and you already called me last night telling me that you're helping Yumi-sama, and I told you that I'm helping Shimako-sama plan the date, other than that, I'm out."

"Nnorriikkkoo," Touko whined, "You're supposed to be helping me keep Shimako and Yumi together!"

"I feel like they can handle their relationship on their own by now," the dark haired girl said, taking a bite of her food. "I told Shimako-san to be extra careful about Sachiko-sama now, and, other than being very supportive, is all we can do."

"You are such a spoil sport Noriko," Touko pouted, eating her own food. "So what do you want to do today?"

Noriko nearly choked on her toast "What do you mean?" She gasped out after a minute.

"Well I took the whole day out of the house to plan how to help Shimako and Yumi with their date, and since we're not doing that, we should do something else."

"Right," Noriko said finally, clearing her throat. She thought for a few moments before an idea started taking form in her mind. "Why don't we just stay in today," she said, standing up to put her plate in the dishwasher, "We can watch movies."

Touko looked down at her clothes. "I'm not exactly dressed for a day in to watch movies," she said, pulling at her jean skirt and ruffled top.

"I have another pair of pajamas you can wear," Noriko replied, rushing upstairs. The black haired girl came back downstairs holding a baby pink t-shirt and a patterned pair of pajama pants and handed them to the spiral haired girl.

The member of the red rose family unfolded the pants and scrutinized them. "Why do you have Sailor Moon pajama pants?" Touko asked finally after a few minutes. She took in the images of the various sailor soldiers covering the legs and the 'Sailor Moon' logo on the butt.

"What I liked it, it was a great show."

"Be that as it may," Touko said, re-folding the pants, "I can't wear these. Don't you have anything else?"

"I have power rangers if you would prefer those."

"Never mind, Sailor Moon is nice," she said hastily, grabbing the t-shirt out of Noriko's hands and rushing to the bathroom. The girl emerged a few minutes later clad in the pajamas. "These are actually extremely comfortable," Touko said, tugging the drawstring on the flannel bottoms. "I don't think I've ever worn this type of material though."

Noriko forced herself to stop staring at her best friend in _her_ clothes, and rolled her eyes. "Let's just get to the movies," she said, pulling out her DVD folder.

"What choices do we have?" Touko asked, sitting down on the couch next to her shorthaired friend.

"I have every Pokemon movie ever made," Noriko sequel, pointing the animated movies at the beginning of the folder. When Touko just stared at her in disbelief, Noriko sighed and just handed the other girl the case.

Touko pulled out a few movies Noriko had based on Shakespeare plays and put the first one in the DVD player. "Now this is what I call a movie marathon," she sighed as the beginning of 'Shakespeare in Love' flashed across the screen.

"The things I put up with for you…"

* * *

"Hey Yumi," I greeted my girlfriend with a hug and a chaste kiss when I saw her walk through the door of the meeting room. We had both arrived early for the meeting in order to greet each other properly without prying eyes.

"Hi Shimako," Yumi replied, hugging me back with equal fervor. "How have you been this past week?"

"Fine," I said, brushing some hair back off of Yumi's face. "I've been doing a ridiculous amount of chores though. I asked my father for an advance on my allowance to pay for the date, and he decided that I have to work it off."

A concerned expression crossed Yumi's face. "You don't have to do that Shimako, I can help you pay for the date."

"No no," I stated firmly, "I am paying for it. I asked you out on a date, so it's my duty to pay for it. Besides, I can just trick Touko-chan and Noriko into coming over and doing my chores for me again."

"Shimako!"

"What? My father suggested it," I defended. "He had never had as much fun watching them run around the temple trying to do my chores. He was very entertained by everything."

"Your dad is hysterical," Yumi laughed.

"I know, he's a riot," I replied, rolling my eyes. "How was your week at you grandma's house?"

"The same as it usually is. I got the rest of my summer homework done though; there is literally nothing else to do down there. I mean I love my grandma, but it's always very boring visiting her."

I was about to say something else when the door opened and Rei-sama and Yoshino-san entered the room. Yoshino-san smirked at how close Yumi and I were standing together. "Catching up after a week apart?"

"Shut-up Yoshino-san," I blustered out, blushing slightly. Glancing over at Yumi, I smiled at the intense red color her face turned.

Yumi and Yoshino started brewing the tea because Touko-chan and Noriko weren't there yet while Rei-sama and I started getting out the paperwork that we needed to work on for the day. Sachiko-sama came in a few minutes later and took her usual seat across from Rei-sama. My vision tinged red when I saw Sachiko-sama brush Yumi's arm when she set the older girl's tea down in front of her.

I calmed down though when my girlfriend brushed up against my shoulder comfortingly when she brought me my tea. She finished placing the tea and sat down across from me. Yoshino took the seat next to Rei-sama at the end of the table, and I glanced around the room, realizing that we were two members short.

"Where're Noriko-chan and Touko-chan?" Sachiko-sama asked, a mildly irritated tone present in her voice. She looked over at Yumi and myself when she asked the question as if we would know where our petite-soeurs were.

I shot a curious glance over at Yumi and she shrug. Looking back and Sachiko-sama, I replied, "I have no idea. I last spoke to Noriko a few days ago, though I'm fairly certain she understood that we had a meeting today…"

I trailed off when I heard a door slam open from downstairs and a thundering sound signaling someone was rushing upstairs. "Sorry we're late," Touko-chan yelled, bursting through the doorway with Noriko close behind her. Both of them were breathing hard and their uniforms were rough and disorderly.

Sachiko-sama shot both of them disapproving looks before she turned her glaring eyes to Yumi and myself. "You both should really teach your petite-soeurs better."

I didn't visibly react to her words but I saw my girlfriend flinch and apparently, so did Touko-chan. "Leave them alone Sachiko-sama," Touko-chan defended us, "It's our fault that we didn't realize what time it was."

"Be that as it may, it is still their responsibility as your Onee-samas to make sure that you two behave as proper young ladies. You come in here, late and in an extremely poor fashion, and as the elder Onee-sama to one of you, it is my job to scold you and your Onee-samas. Now, let's start the meeting," the Queen Bee continued.

Yumi looked over at me and caught my eye. She rolled her eyes at me and waved Touko-chan over to the chair next to her. Noriko sat down next to me after she had gotten her and Touko-chan some of the tea that Yoshino-san left in the kettle and shot me an apologetic smile. The Rosa Chinesis started talking about the school festival coming up in October, and asked Yumi to let her brother know that she would be requiring his assistance during the event.

About an hour later, we finished the meeting and the elder red and yellow roses left. "All right, spill," I said to Noriko, "Why were you guys so late to the meeting?"

Touko-chan glared at Noriko who just looked at me sheepishly. "Someone," Touko-chan put an extra emphasis on the word someone, "Decided to drag me into spending the last couple days watching movies all the time. We had a sleep over movie night last night and we didn't get to sleep until late… That same someone forgot to set the alarm."

Yoshino-san, Yumi and I just looked at each other for a minute before we burst out laughing. "Wow," I gasped, wiping a tear away from the corner of my eye. "That's great what movies were you watching."

At this, Touko-chan gave Noriko a pointed look, gesturing at her to answer me. "Um…" Noriko started, "The Pokemon movies…"

The embarrassed look on the two flustered first years' faces just made us laugh harder. When we finally calmed down, Yumi looked over and Yoshino-san and I. "I almost forgot," she started, "Yuuki asked me if we could arrange some type of meeting between our two student councils. They need our help with their school festival next month, and it seems like Onee-sama has forgotten that it's polite to offer help when we expect it in return."

"Um, in case you're forgetting Yumi-san," Yohsino-san started, "Sachiko-sama hates men. The only reason that she's requesting Yuuki-san's help is that he reminds her of you, so she has deemed him safe." I noticed her face flushed briefly when she mentioned Yuuki-san's name, and I filed that away for further observation.

"And Sachiko-sama would never agree to willingly meet with a student council full of boys," Touko-chan said, shaking her head. "She can be so childish at times. Her father and grandfather… And Suguru-sama I guess, are inconsiderate jerks for the most part, but to group all mean together like that is immature. She doesn't even speak to her other male family members anymore, my father and grandfather included."

"How do we get her to agree to meet with the Hanadera student council then?" Noriko asked.

"We don't tell her," Yumi answered. When I looked over at her questioningly, she continued on with her idea. "Look, they just want a pre-meeting meeting, like an introduction so that it won't be as uncomfortable on both sides. We meet with them without Sachiko-sama present, like at one of the nearby coffee shops, and work out a time for a couple of them to come meet with Sachiko-sama."

"That's brilliant," I exclaimed, kissing my girlfriend briefly on the cheek. I noticed her cheek heat up under my lips and I smiled at her adorable blush. "Have you met any of the people on the student council?" I asked her when I pulled back. "I mean, they are your brother's friends right?"

"Yuuki's told me about them," my girlfriend replied, still blushing, "And I've met a couple. The person I've seen the most is Kobayashi-kun. He's super nice, a bit of a geek, and really funny. Oh and then there's Arisu-kun, or Alice-kun as most people call him. I've met him once or twice and he's a bit… odd…"

"What do you mean odd?" Yoshino-san asked, curious.

Yumi hesitated for a minute before answering, "I can honestly say that he's probably the most girly person I have ever met. I mean, he can pull off a ruffled mini-skirt like a pro."

The rest of us in the room blinked. "You mean he's a…" Noriko's words trailed off but we all knew what she was going to say.

When Yumi nodded, we all looked at each other. "Well this should be an interesting meeting," Yoshino-san said, standing up. "I'm going to head home and tell Rei-chan what we decided. I'll call you later Yumi-san and we can work out a good day this week to do everything."

"Thanks Yoshino-san," Yumi called after her.

"Oh wait, before I forget," she said, coming back into the room. "Who's the president over there this year anyway?"

I heard Yumi let out a little giggle before smothering it down. "Apparently Yuuki is," the brunette said, "He told me he got bullied into it when I forced the information out of him."

"Ha! That's great," Yoshino-san laughed as she left the room again. We heard her laughing all the way down the stairs and out the building.

"How did you force that information out of Yuuki-san anyway?" Touko-chan asked once we could no longer hear Yoshino-san laughing.

Yumi coughed, "Um, well, I know something that he doesn't really want to get around."

"Ooh, gossip, do tell," the spiral haired girl said, leaning on her elbows.

"Uh, Touko," Noriko said hastily, "Remember we were going to head back to my house to finish our movie marathon."

"You're no fun Noriko," Touko-chan pouted, standing up. "I guess I must take my leave, but we are continuing this conversation later Onee-sama."

Yumi and I giggled and the two first years bid us goodbye. "Well," I said a few minutes later after we both finished our tea, "Shall we head out as well."

"Sounds good to me. I want to get home to change clothes anyway, Yuuki and I were planning on going to the arcade later."

"Speaking of Yuuki-san," I said when we left the Rose Mansion, "What do you have on him that he doesn't want others to know?"

My girlfriend bit her lip in hesitation, which was extremely uncomfortable for me because it made me want to pull that lip into my own mouth and soothe the bit mark. "You promise you won't say anything to him about it? Or anyone else for that matter."

"Of course," I was really curious at this point and really distracted by Yumi's slightly redden lip.

"Well… Yuuki kinda has a crush on Yoshino-san," she rushed out in one breath.

I blinked, "Ah… what? How did that happen?"

"Apparently last fall when Yoshino-san was calling me from the hospital to see how things were when I couldn't get over to see her, she and Yuuki talked a bit on the phone before he handed it to me. I also think they've met up a few times, but I can't be sure."

"But I thought Yoshino-san was in love with Rei-sama."

Yumi shrugged, "I don't know; all I know is that Yuuki has a crush on Yoshino-san. I have no idea how she feels about him."

Suddenly, Yoshino-san's flushed face during the meeting crossed my mind and something started niggling in the back of my mind. "I think Yoshino-san has a crush on him as well," I whispered, "Her face flushed during the meeting whenever he was mentioned. I can't be positive though."

"I do remember Yoshino-san interrogating me a while ago about what being in love felt like, or being in a relationship," Yumi said thoughtfully, "Though I thought she was talking about her and Rei-sama."

Yumi and I just looked at each other for a moment. "This requires further study," I said finally.

"It does, we'll have to observe them."

"On the bright side, maybe we can sic Noriko and Touko-chan on them to give them someone else to focus on."

Yumi laughed at that. "That is a great idea," she giggled out.

"So I was thinking," I started after she calmed down, "That maybe we can go on our date Friday night. I've already got reservations at a nice restaurant."

"I'd like that," Yumi replied softly, taking my hand in her own. "I'm surprised you have it planned out already."

"Well, I kind of had it planned out when I asked you, not where to go exactly, but what I wanted to do. I asked for Noriko's help one, to plan a future date maybe, and to keep our two petite soeurs from showing up on our date."

"Good plan," Yumi giggled again, "Just don't tell me where we're going so that Touko-chan doesn't get it out of me. She's going to help me pick out a good outfit. Any suggestions."

"Something dressy, but not overly formal. No ball gowns or mini skirts, and I know that you have a wide variety of mini-skirts."

Yumi smirked at me and leaned in so close that I felt her breath on my ear. "I got most of them after we started dating," she said, followed by a slight nibble on my ear.

I squeak, turning an interesting shade of red and just stared at her, baffled. My girlfriend just turned and continued to sway her way to the bus stop, my eyes glued to her…

"Coming Shimako?" She called back at me. _Almost… Almost…_

"Right, coming!"

* * *

"So how are we going to handle this?" Rei-sama asked before the meeting on Friday.

I looked at her thoughtfully, "Well just have to make sure that Sachiko-sama doesn't get angry that we went behind her back to arrange this meeting." We had met with the Hanadera student council a few days ago and decided to do an informal introduction today during the meeting. Originally it was only going to be a few of the members coming and tentatively arranging things for their school festival, but we thought better of it and just decided to do a short meet and greet, mainly for Sachiko-sama.

Noriko walked through the door of the meeting room. "I just got a text from Touko; she's with Sachiko-sama and they're coming this way."

"And Yoshino let me know that she and Yumi-chan are with the boys from Hanadera. They just have to keep out of sight of the school gate when Sachiko and Touko-chan are coming in," Rei-sama said.

"If we get through this without Sachiko-sama becoming hysterical and throwing a fit, it'll be a miracle," I murmured more to myself than anyone else.

The door opened and Touko-chan and Sachiko-sama walked through. The older girl took her seat and my petite soeur poured her a cup of tea. "Where are Yoshino-san and Yumi?" She asked after taking a sip from her cup.

I glanced over at Rei-sama and nodded with my head at Sachiko-sama, indicating that she should tell her now. We had decided that she should be the one to tell Sachiko-sama, let the two third years argue it out and all that. "Rosa Chinensis," Rei-sama said formally to her friend, "Yumi brought to us a request at the beginning of this week from the Hanadera Student Council president, requesting an informal meeting between our two councils before we meet with them officially about their school festival…"

"I didn't realize we were meeting with them about their school festival," Sachiko-sama interrupted.

"Well Sachiko, it is tradition that we assist them with their festival and they help us with ours. It's polite after all," Rei-sama explained like she was speaking to a petulant child. "Anyway, we arranged the meeting for today. Yoshino and Yumi-chan are bringing them up right now."

"What?!" Sachiko-sama exploded, "You made this decision without me?!"

"Yes Sachiko, we made this decision without you because we knew that you would refuse or protest. Now, Yumi believes you can get through this meeting with dignity and grace, you don't want to disappoint her now do you?"

"Low blow," I heard Touko-chan whisper to Noriko and I stifled back a smile. In situations like these where Sachiko-sama needs to be kept in check, using her desire to please my girlfriend is actually a good thing.

I saw Sachiko-sama's eyebrow twitch in response as she forced out a smile. "Of course, when are they coming?"

Just as she asked that question, the door opened and Yumi and Yoshino-san entered, followed closely by Yuuki-san. "Onee-sama," Yumi said approaching the older girl, "I would like to present the curtain Hanadera student council president, Fukuzawa Yuuki."

A surprised look crossed Sachiko-sama's face. "It's a pleasure to see you again Yuuki-san," she said after a minute.

"Thank you Sachiko-sama, I'm glad that you agreed to this meeting. The rest of the council is waiting outside of the room. I thought we could do a quick introduction before we leave you to your meeting," Yuuki-san replied. I looked over at Yumi and I saw her wink at me, confirming my suspicions that she coached Yuuki-san about what to say.

"Yes of course Yuuki-san," Sachiko-sama said, "Please call them in."

I glanced over at Yumi and crossed my fingers. _Let's hope everything goes okay…_

* * *

"I think that went well," I said to Yumi when I called her after the meeting. I was originally going to talk to her right after the meeting, but Sachiko-sama wanted to walk with her to the bus stop.

"_Yeah, though I was really nervous the whole time that someone would act up. It looked like for a moment that Alice-kun would do something, but it seems like Yuuki managed to keep them all pretty cowed_."

"Yeah, even though he's the youngest, Yuuki seems to have a pretty good control on things over there. Though I did notice that a few of them kept looking between Yuuki-kun and Yoshino-san and smirking between themselves," I replied laughing.

"_It seems that they picked up on the crush that Yuuki has_." We both laughed for a few minutes before a comfortable silence fell between us on the phone. "_I'm really excited about our date tonight,"_ I heard Yumi murmur.

"I'm excited too," I replied, my smile wide. "I'll come pick you up tonight at 7."

"_I can't wait. I should probably go get ready now that I think about it."_

"It's only 2," I said, looking over at my alarm clock.

"_Yes well, it'll give me something to do instead of just sitting around and staring at the clock."_

"I know how you feel," I said fondly, "I'll see you tonight."

_"Tonight…"_

I pressed end call on the front screen of my phone and flopped down on my bed, a wide goofy smile on my face. Suddenly, I sat bolt upright in bed. "I have so much to do," I gasped, "I have to take a shower… And probably a bath, shave my legs, wash my hair, condition, moisturize, primp, fluff. No time for just laying around." I jumped up and rushed to the bathroom to start getting ready.

A few hours later, I stood hesitantly in front of Yumi's house, nervously shifting my weight from my left foot to my right foot and back. My loose fitting silver dress swished around my calves following my movement, and I tugged on my hair that was pulled back into a braid over my right shoulder. In my other hand I held a red-tipped white rose, that was pretty self explanatory, and a brilliant tiger lily.

The door opened and Yumi's mother was standing there looking me up and down. "Oh Shimako-chan, you look so pretty!" She complimented, "Come in, come in, I need to take some pictures of you, oh this is exciting!"

I felt my face heat up as I was forcibly pulled into the house. "Now just stand here," Miki Obaa-sama motioned me towards the living room with one hand while the other hand grabbed a camera. "That dress is lovely," she said as she snapped the pictures, "It'll match Yumi's perfectly."

"Thanks Miki Obaa-sama," I said, still blushing, "Where is Yu-"

"Mom!" I heard Yumi yell from the top of the stairs. I turned toward my girlfriend and my mouth instantly went dry. She was descending the stairs clad in an emerald green summer dress that barely brushed the top of her knees. Her hair was straightened and fell gracefully down her back, her bangs brushed to the side and smoothed in with the rest of her hair. Light makeup surrounded her eyes while a light pink lip-gloss was brushed across her lips.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Yumi smiled shyly at me. "You look beautiful Shimako," she murmured quietly before she turned viciously on her mother. "Stop bothering her mom! We're just going on a date!"

"I know, and I know it's not technically you're first date, but I'm counting this as your first date. It's mother's prerogative to take pictures of her child's first date."

"Mom! You're embarrassing me," Yumi huffed, staring down at the ground. Her hair fell in her face trying to conceal the bright red it had become. One of her spaghetti straps fell off her shoulder down her arm and I grazed her arm with my fingertips, moving it back into place. At my touch, the brunette looked up at me. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her face still a brilliant red.

"It's okay," I replied, "You look beautiful by the way."

"Thanks," she straightened up fully and smiled at me. The moment was interrupted by the continuous snapping sound we heard.

"You both are too cute!" Miki Obaa-sama squealed, "Now you girls get on out of here before Papa comes home and tries to interrogate poor Shimako-chan about her intentions for his daughter." If my face turned any redder I would be mistaken for a stoplight. She shooed us out the door and I escorted Yumi to where a car was waiting for us on the street.

"Yumi," I said as the driver of the car got out, "This is my older brother; he has agreed to drive us for the night."

"I didn't know that you had an older brother," she murmured to me before bowing slightly to the older man. "It's a pleasure to meet you, thank you for taking care of us tonight."

My brother laughed and opened the door to the backseat for us. "The pleasure is mine Yumi-chan; I was interested in meeting the girl that had my sister all hot and bothered."

"Onii-sama!" I hissed at him, my mortification growing.

"All right, all right, I'm done, just pretend I'm not here," he smirked.

Yumi and I slid in the backseat and my brother returned to the driver's seat, and started the car, headed towards our destination. "So where are we going?" Yumi asked.

"Oh, just a place I know," I replied vaguely. About 20 minutes later, my brother pulled up in front of a fine Italian restaurant. He opened the door for us and we got out.

"I'll be down the road at a coffee shop. Just text me when you're ready to go and I'll come back," he said as he got back in the car.

I nodded and waved to him as he left. When his car was out of sight, I turned back to Yumi. "I hope you like Italian," I said as I escorted her into the restaurant.

"It's one of my favorites," Yumi replied, smiling at me.

When the hostess seated us in our booth, Yumi and I looked around, taking in the atmosphere of the restaurant. Tables of various sizes littered the floor, but spaced far enough apart to allow for room and privacy. Large booths separated from each other by frosted glass line the walls and the half portion blocking the room that held the kitchen. A lit candle and a basket of breadsticks were waiting on the table for us when we sat down, along with small wine glasses filled with water.

The waiter came and dropped off menus for us a few minutes later and we scanned the various pastas. "Should we split something?" I asked her, "It looks like some of the dishes have larger portions."

"Is that your way of asking me to share a plate of spaghetti with you?" Yumi retorted coyly.

"Ah, you caught me, I wanted to go with the whole cheesy first date, sharing a plate of spaghetti thing," I said.

"Well it sounds good to me, with maybe a couple of house salads."

The waiter came back and we placed our order. "So what did you do to your hair?" I asked once he left, "It looks different."

Yumi rolled her eyes, "I took a flat iron to it, decided to try a different hair style for our date. Does it look good?"

"You look beautiful, as always," I murmured, reaching over to grab her hand. She smiled at me and squeezed my hand in response. Our salads came and we talked about different things like the upcoming athletic festival, the school trip and even what Hanadera's school festival would be like. Soon the waiter came back and removed our salad dishes, replacing them with a giant helping of spaghetti and an extra plate for me. "How are we going to split this?" I asked, staring at the giant plate of twisted noodles.

Yumi laughed and took a knife straight through the middle of the pasta, cutting the portion in two. I pouted in response, "I was hoping that maybe we could just eat off the same plate, pick up the same noodle…"

"Maybe sometime in private," the brunette across from me giggled, "But out here, in public, romance is nice but that is not something I would do here at a nice restaurant."

"I suppose you're right," I replied, sighing dramatically. We both returned to our food and kept talking in between bites. Another hour passed before we finally finished and left the restaurant. My brother returned and drove us back to Yumi's house. I walked her to the door, out of sight of my nosy brother and hopefully Yumi's parents.

"I had a great time tonight," Yumi said, smiling shyly at me, "I didn't know you were such a romantic at heart, I mean dinner, flowers, and I'm sure if we were older you would have ordered wine as well."

"I would have," I confirmed, "You're worth it, you're worth all of this, all that I can give you."

Yumi reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me towards her. Placing a soft kiss, she whispered, "You're worth all of it as well Shimako and I thank you for tonight, but you don't have to. I love you, I love going out with you. We could've just done dinner and a movie, or gone back to the arcade and I would've been happy because I would've been with you."

"I know," I replied, "But you deserved some romance after everything you went through at Sachiko-sama's summer house."

"Thank you," she said, placing another kiss on my lips. "Goodnight Shimako, I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I answered thickly, savoring the taste of her lip-gloss on my lips, "Yeah, I'll call you."

I step back to allow my girlfriend to open her front door and slip quietly into her house. I floated serenely towards my brother's car and eased into the backseat, a whimsical smile gracing my features.

"I like her," my brother said to me, "She's good for you."

"She is," I said, "She is indeed."

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

"Are you sure that Onee-sama and Shimako-sama were coming here for their date?" Touko asked. She and Noriko were stationed on a bench in the park across from a Thai restaurant. The two were wearing trench coats and hats that made them look like they were straight out of a spy movie, and were holding newspaper up to cover their faces.

Noriko shrugged, "I helped her plan the date. They were coming here, about 7, eat dinner and then go for a walk in the park over here by the fountains. And by the way, I feel ridiculous. Aren't we a little conspicuous?"

"I've always wanted to play the role of a spy," came Touko's reply, "And anyway, I don't see them. We've been sitting here on this bench since 6:30 in case they came early; it's 8:00 now and they haven't been here… You know what that means?"

"What?"

"We have been outsmarted Noriko, plain and simple," Touko sighed, folding her newspaper. "Shimako never planned to come here, it was just a decoy to keep us from following them on their real date."

"So we just wasted an hour and a half for no real reason?" Noriko sighed, exasperated.

Touko sighed as well and stood up, removing her hat and trench coat. "Come on Noriko, there's an outdoor café up the road that makes pretty good sandwiches and espresso. Let's get some food and call it a night. Darn it! Touko was looking forward to playing a private detective or spy or something."

Noriko rolled her eyes and followed her dramatic friend, removing her own ridiculous disguise on the way. Soon they reached the café and took a seat at one of the open tables. It was still technically early to be out on a Friday night, so many of the tables were full of various types of people. They both ordered grilled flat bread sandwiches and cappuccinos and took to watching the people around them. Touko took particular interest in the couples around them.

"I can't believe I was tricked so easily," she said after a moment, "I mean, I know how you are very gullible but I can't believe I feel for this ruse."

"What do you mean I'm gullible?" Noriko retorted.

The spiral haired girl snorted, "Did you honestly believe that Shimako-sama would tell you where she was taking Yumi-sama on their date considering how she detests us following her. She obviously knew you would tell me and decided to teach us a lesson."

"Not to follow her?" The darker haired girl suggested.

"No," Touko said slamming one of her hands down on the table, "To be smarter about our efforts."

By the time the waitress came back with their coffees and sandwiches, Touko was in full scheming, er, planning mode. "Touko!" Noriko said, exasperated with her friend, "Can't we just enjoy our sandwiches please? We've already wasted part of the night, why not give it a rest for now?"

Touko studied her friend across her for a moment before sighing. "You're right Noriko, let's just enjoy the rest of the night." They ate their sandwiches in a comfortable silence. When they finished, they drank their cappuccinos and just watched the people around them and invented stories about what they were saying or who they were in life. About an hour later, they finished their drinks and started heading towards the train station.

"So my parents have been a little upset that you haven't been to our house yet," Touko said, "They want to know if you want to come over at some point."

"Yeah sure, I'm running out of movies though so we might need to find another source of amusement," Noriko answered.

"I think we can find something. I can ask my father to get me a subscription to one of those online streaming websites. I'm sure he'll say yes, gah I can't believe you got me hooked on this stuff," Touko said in distress.

Noriko laughed at her friend. "Sorry Touko," she said between laughs. "I'll come by tomorrow?"

"Yeah that's fine, see you later Noriko," the other girl said, slumping to her train.

Noriko laughed to herself the entire way home.

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